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I worry that Android could become the Firefox of mobile, or even lose support for some applications if iOS becomes too dominant in OECD/developed countries. Fo

I worry that Android could become the Firefox of mobile, or even lose support for some applications if iOS becomes too dominant in OECD/developed countries. For many businesses the cost of developing a native android app might not justify the revenue created by developing countries and low income OECD users. Even now, I doubt it’s worth developing a native android app if your target audience have an income above $100,000. Or a video game where most of your revenue comes from whales that spend over $100 a month on in app purchases.

askafriend 4y ago
The cheapest iPhone Apple sells is only $429 and the used market isn't too bad either for an iOS device that works well. I think at this point some of the mid-range phone buyers might look to Apple too. Especially kids.
- spacebanana7 4y ago
  Yeah Apple presently dominate the upper income segment of the market but they’re starting to win the middle class too.
hammyhavoc 4y ago
Most businesses don't need to develop a native application though. Most businesses don't even need an app in the store now that PWAs on iOS support push notifications and circumvent any Apple approval. I know plenty of folks with incomes in the millions and net worths in the billions who use Android. How much people earn or are worth really isn't a good indicator of what device they'll use. Remember when Apple pulled Fortnite from the iOS App Store? CoD Warzone seems to do alright on Android. Pokemon Go, anyone? Minecraft? Roblox? Given most people use Unity or Unreal engines, it's not difficult or any more meaningfully expensive to target Android as far as games go. Xbox Game Pass is a roaring success too, beating out even Google's own Stadia.
- spacebanana7 4y ago
  > How much people earn or are worth really isn't a good indicator of what device they'll use. Globally it is a good indicator in the sense that people in high income countries use iOS devices more often [1][2] If you’re in a country with GDP per capita >$5k then you’re almost certainly using an android device. Unfortunately within country all the data I can find is either uselessly old or from unreliable sources. Generally still says iOS users earn more but I accept that we can’t draw too much from it e.g [3] > Most businesses don't even need an app in the store now that PWAs on iOS support.. > Given most people use Unity or Unreal engines, it's not difficult or any more meaningfully expensive to target Android as far as games go Yeah, to the extent that application developers target web, PWAs, 3rd party game engines or even React Native/Flutter the platforms matter less and the economically smaller platforms can do better. However, there’s a lot of variation by industry vertical here. True native apps (using Apple/Google frameworks like SwiftUI/UIKit/SceneKit/Jetpack etc) are pretty rare in gaming but more common in finance/travel/auto/music. I imagine therefore the latter are the ones to worry about if Android becomes minority in the OECD. [1]https://www.statista.com/chart/amp/22702/andoid-ios-market-share-selected-countries/ https://www.statista.com/chart/amp/22702/andoid-ios-market-s... [2]https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/iphone-market-share-by-country https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/iphone-ma... [3] https://www.comscore.com/ita/Public-Relations/Infographics/iPhone-Users-Earn-Higher-Income-Engage-More-on-Apps-than-Android-Users https://www.comscore.com/ita/Public-Relations/Infographics/i...

askafriend 4y ago

The cheapest iPhone Apple sells is only $429 and the used market isn't too bad either for an iOS device that works well. I think at this point some of the mid-range phone buyers might look to Apple too. Especially kids.

spacebanana7 4y ago
Yeah Apple presently dominate the upper income segment of the market but they’re starting to win the middle class too.

hammyhavoc 4y ago

Most businesses don't need to develop a native application though. Most businesses don't even need an app in the store now that PWAs on iOS support push notifications and circumvent any Apple approval. I know plenty of folks with incomes in the millions and net worths in the billions who use Android. How much people earn or are worth really isn't a good indicator of what device they'll use. Remember when Apple pulled Fortnite from the iOS App Store? CoD Warzone seems to do alright on Android. Pokemon Go, anyone? Minecraft? Roblox? Given most people use Unity or Unreal engines, it's not difficult or any more meaningfully expensive to target Android as far as games go. Xbox Game Pass is a roaring success too, beating out even Google's own Stadia.

spacebanana7 4y ago
> How much people earn or are worth really isn't a good indicator of what device they'll use. Globally it is a good indicator in the sense that people in high income countries use iOS devices more often [1][2] If you’re in a country with GDP per capita >$5k then you’re almost certainly using an android device. Unfortunately within country all the data I can find is either uselessly old or from unreliable sources. Generally still says iOS users earn more but I accept that we can’t draw too much from it e.g [3] > Most businesses don't even need an app in the store now that PWAs on iOS support.. > Given most people use Unity or Unreal engines, it's not difficult or any more meaningfully expensive to target Android as far as games go Yeah, to the extent that application developers target web, PWAs, 3rd party game engines or even React Native/Flutter the platforms matter less and the economically smaller platforms can do better. However, there’s a lot of variation by industry vertical here. True native apps (using Apple/Google frameworks like SwiftUI/UIKit/SceneKit/Jetpack etc) are pretty rare in gaming but more common in finance/travel/auto/music. I imagine therefore the latter are the ones to worry about if Android becomes minority in the OECD. [1]https://www.statista.com/chart/amp/22702/andoid-ios-market-share-selected-countries/ https://www.statista.com/chart/amp/22702/andoid-ios-market-s... [2]https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/iphone-market-share-by-country https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/iphone-ma... [3] https://www.comscore.com/ita/Public-Relations/Infographics/iPhone-Users-Earn-Higher-Income-Engage-More-on-Apps-than-Android-Users https://www.comscore.com/ita/Public-Relations/Infographics/i...