It's 2017 and I have a great (new) mobile app idea. I need to make a prototype quickly and would like to get to market quickly. Android and iOS make up 99% of the market share - 86% Android, 13% iOS. Is it a given that I have to support both right out of the box, or should I start with one or the other? Android has a higher market share, but are their other factors I should include in my decision like marketing effectiveness, entry to market, etc?
It's 2017 and I have a great mobile app idea. Start with Android or iOS?
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Re: It's 2017 and I have a great mobile app idea. Start with Android or iOS?
#2Why not hybrid mobile?
Re: It's 2017 and I have a great mobile app idea. Start with Android or iOS?
#3Why not hybrid mobile?
I've always been a believer that if writing a new, innovative application, that using native code seems to be the most productive/efficient path. I do know that there are tradeoffs in any decision like this. I also know and accept that this is just an opinion.
Re: It's 2017 and I have a great mobile app idea. Start with Android or iOS?
#4How much do you want to spend to get started? It only costs a simple one time $25 developer fee for android, for ios its $100/year. If you are just getting your feet wet going android is much cheaper, then if you make money on android you have a budget to get a mac with xcode, an ios device and the $100/year fee to write for ios.
Re: It's 2017 and I have a great mobile app idea. Start with Android or iOS?
#5The report summarized here (for Q2-2016):
http://bgr.com/2016/07/20/ios-vs-android-developers-profits-...
shows the Android store with twice as many downloads but half as much revenue. The importance of this is going to vary depending on specifics about your application - does it need a strong network effect to deliver value, or is it valuable for a solo user?
Re: It's 2017 and I have a great mobile app idea. Start with Android or iOS?
#6react native
Re: It's 2017 and I have a great mobile app idea. Start with Android or iOS?
#7react native
second this. mobile development is way too expensive for a single individual like you
Re: It's 2017 and I have a great mobile app idea. Start with Android or iOS?
#8The report summarized here (for Q2-2016): http://bgr.com/2016/07/20/ios-vs-android-developers-profits-... shows the Android store with twice as many downloads but half as much revenue. The importance of this is going to vary depending on specifics about your application - does it need a strong network effect to deliver value, or is it valuable for a solo user?
I also agree with this idea. If you are going to be charging for your app and want to make a revenue stream off the start before expanding, I think iOS is the better choice. If it's going to be free and you are looking for a big user base then Android will be a better start. The other factor is Android is quite a bit easier for most to get into (but with fragmentation it is a pain to make quality apps) -- Java and any OS compared to obj-c/swift and a Mac.
Re: It's 2017 and I have a great mobile app idea. Start with Android or iOS?
#9Doesn't matter if your idea sucks.
Re: It's 2017 and I have a great mobile app idea. Start with Android or iOS?
#10I'm going to be that guy. Sorry.
Are you sure it's a new idea? Have you really searched the 2million+ apps out there to be sure? Truly new and original ideas are rare, most things you can do on a mobile have been tried at some point in the last 10 years. Check again, and learn from what others have done.
Have you validated the idea? I don't mean asked your mates if they like it. I mean have you got someone to give you money as a pre-order?
Do you know exactly who your market is and how you'll reach them? Putting something on the app store is not enough, it'll vanish without trace. You need a marketing channel outside the app store that can get to your target market and tell them about the app.
Have you tested that marketing channel? Personally I would do this before writing any code. If the marketing channel doesn't work then you need to find that out first and find one that does work. Don't worry about advertising vapourware, if people really want your app they'll wait a bit (see Kickstarter for evidence).
Unless, of course, this is a side project that is never intended to make serious money. If so, then pick whatever technology and platform you want to learn (I'd second React Native as a tech to learn). Market sizes don't matter if you've got no customers and no channel.