Mobile app development is basically the creation of mobile applications designed to run exclusively on mobile devices and geared to make the most use of the unique technical aspects of these devices. The various categories of mobile applications that mobile developers develop include hybrid apps, native apps and HTML5 mobile apps. These are some of the most popular and used mobile applications in the market today. However, it can be said that Android is by far the most popular and used mobile application platform in the world. As a matter of fact, over 50 percent of the total number of apps have been developed for Android.
As a matter of fact, Android has proven to be an excellent platform for small and large businesses. For small enterprises, Android offers a very user-friendly and convenient way of reaching a vast audience. The great thing about Android is that it comes free of cost, which makes it very economical for small businesses to go for mobile application development. Android offers a lot of features, which are specifically designed to simplify the processes involved in mobile applications development.
On the other hand, iPhone and Blackberry smartphones are more popular than Android. Android apps have been primarily designed for touch screen use only, whereas iPhone applications are better suited for palm-held devices. However, the situation is changing with the launch of the innovative Android handset. Nowadays, the majority of mobile app developers are favoring Android development solutions because they are cross-platform, offering users access to a range of hardware and software features. With Android, mobile developers do not need to spend considerable time and money in designing an app for each specific device category.
In addition to this, Android offers a set of unique features that make it a preferable development platform for small businesses. Android has a large library of libraries including many of the most popular Android native codes such as libraries for maps and graphics. Android also provides a large number of libraries for networking, security and media files, and apps for the Android interface. Thus, while designing an Android app for small business, developers get access to these unique features at very affordable costs.
Android applications are available in the Android Marketplace, a site that allows application developers to publish applications that can run on android devices. The Android Marketplace also acts as a repository for the latest updates and versions of android apps. On the other hand, iPhone mobile apps are only available through Apple’s App Store. Hence, if your business requires mobile apps, it would be better to develop it for iPhone since the iPhone is the most widely used mobile platform. The iPhone has several advantages over its competitor mobile platforms. First, iPhone apps are available free of cost and with a wide variety of applications. Secondly, iPhone apps can be accessed from any location to android apps have to be downloaded onto specific devices. Thirdly, iPhone apps can provide superior performance than most android counterparts.
The Android mobile app development market is currently growing fast due to the open source Android Open Source operating system. The Android OS offers unique features that can only be provided by a proprietary operating system. For example, Android offers better memory management, greater control over multitasking, better image processing power and higher camera resolution. On the other hand, Apple devices rely heavily on the iOS software and hardware platform which they jointly own.
However, Android has some distinct advantages over iPhone. One of them is that Android apps can run on a variety of mobile platforms. With Android you can develop for tablets, smart phones and even Windows Phone. Apart from that, Android apps can be developed faster than iPhone apps as the Android mobile operating systems boast of a multi-core processor. Thus, there is certainly a bright future for Android apps and mobile platform developers.