Nothing has changed our mobile lives more than apps. Today, it’s no longer just about building an innovative app with a better user experience, its about being successful while gearing up your mobile strategy, now the question arises which app development technology to be used ? Here are the key reasons to think over android application development before considering any other platform:
Here are the key reasons to think over android application development before considering any other platform:
Increasing market share
According to IDC, Android absolutely dominated the number of smartphones shipped worldwide in the first three months of 2015, with 78% market share. As per Gartner, Android holds 84.7 percent market share as of the third quarter of 2015, which is a 1.4-percent increase year over year. According to statista.com, the estimated total number of Android devices in the hands of consumers, as at December 2014, lies near of 1.6 billion which is an astound number,it makes economic sense to target the platform that would give you the greatest access to potential users. Android is on the rise in both the US and Europe.
Search/lookup capability
Google Play provides a pliable search capability, making it easier for users to search for apps of interest. Marketers can have access to tools that provide keyword insight which lets them optimize app titles, descriptions and even helps prioritize product features.Overall, Google Play’s search capabilities level the playing field, allowing less well-known apps and brands additional opportunities to reach prospective users.
Android is portable
It is very easy to port Native Android apps built using the Java programming language, to other mobile operating systems like Blackberry, Symbian and Ubuntu even to Chrome OS which is expected to grow in the future, even Microsoft has also announced that it will provide an easy method to port Android apps to Windows 10 devices.
Low Acquisition Cost
Just building the right app is not enough, you also need to promote and market your app. Many research reports show that it is significantly cheaper to acquire a new customer on Google Play. Fiksu recent analysis says that Android is able to deliver 12 percent more advertising inventory while decreasing inventory cost upto 40 percent than other technology.
Secure Payment Systems
The Android ecosystem comes with easy to use and secure payment systems like Google Wallet and Google Checkout. If you are expecting your users to use the app for buying some kind of products/services, then the presence of Google Wallet and Google Checkout will be very helpful. Average Revenue Per Paying User (ARPPU) for Google Play is better than other technology.
Java for Android
Android programming is based on Java programming language as it is a commonly used language for many programmers, because java can run on a virtual machine (VM) so no need arises to recompile it for different phones, better security. Java is a known industry language with most phones compatible with it.
Android Studio
Android Studio is an excellent IDE. Some key features include:
# Gradle-based build system
# Live-layout WYSIWYG Editor with real time app layout rendering
# Option to preview a layout on multiple screen configurations while editing
# Build variants and multiple apk file generation
# Lint tools (used to catch usability, performance, version compatibility and other issues)
# Supports developing Android Wear, TV and Auto apps
# Enables app integration with Google Cloud Platform (App Engine and Google Cloud Messaging)
Google's business platform
Google edify developers to program their own Android apps. Android apps can be freely downloaded or could be purchased under premium apps to share revenues for the between Google (30%) and the software developer (70%). Additionally, some Android Apps follow the freemium business model, wherein the app developer can derive revenue on free apps via Google's in-app billing capabilities.
Features
Its interface, application, memory management, update schedule and open source policy has made it more accessible. Android as an operating system is open source, there are even "mods" of Android like CyanogenMod or Paranoid Android which gives developers deeper access into the operating system itself. Its interface is based on direct manipulation. It is also designed to manage memory (RAM) to keep power consumption at a minimum, as the system will automatically suspend it even when the application is not in use but open.