Less is more: the 200,000 apps myth

[abaez]

Found this interesting article analyzing the apps in both the Apple and Android store:

http://tomch.com/wp/?p=144

It looks like he owns an N900, and seems to be really slanted toward Maemo and the Nokia App Store but some choice tidbits:

One in six apps in the iPhone AppStore is an eBook. “Jane Eyre” alone is available through over a hundred apps.

But many others are imitations, variant 283 of Tetris or Bejeweled. Or crude mini-games. And quite often, games come in 3 variants - a free, a lite and a full version.

The entertainment section (10% of all apps) is another show of the tragedy of the masses. Sorted by popularity, the winner is “Boobs & Thongs Lite”. What a glorious achievement. In fact, three of the top 20 apps are about boobs, another 3 about wallpapers. Plus light sabres, farts, jokes, beer and TV.

Having said that, I know there are alot of really great and excellent apps in both the iPhone and Android store. I've only used a Nexus One since January, but really only had about 5 or so apps installed that I actually used regularly.

I knew there were alot of fart/trashy/pointless apps, but had no idea it was this bad.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Isn't every platform basically inundated with crap apps? I remember searching for a more full-featured alarm clock for my Android phone and I uncovered a tsunami of overpriced clock widgets costing from $5 to $50 each, all by the same developer.

Either way, it doesn't really matter. Once you have more than a couple thousand apps, it doesn't really matter whether you have 50k, 100k, 200k, or more. Of course, it won't stop fanboys from making fallacious arguments. Apple fanboys, who in the past have used the Mac platform's relatively small software selection as a favorable argument, will now switch to promoting the "more is better" side. Android fanboys will then claim that they have quality over quantity vs. the iPhone, ignoring that Android has just as many crap apps (percentage-wise, at least) as the iPhone.

 

[Spoooon]

There are plenty of quality apps and junk apps regardless of platform.

What Android really needs is a better way to search the market. I would like to just search for 3 star or higher apps with x number of reviews or something like that.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Isn't every platform basically inundated with crap apps? I remember searching for a more full-featured alarm clock for my Android phone and I uncovered a tsunami of overpriced clock widgets costing from $5 to $50 each, all by the same developer.

Either way, it doesn't really matter. Once you have more than a couple thousand apps, it doesn't really matter whether you have 50k, 100k, 200k, or more. Of course, it won't stop fanboys from making fallacious arguments. Apple fanboys, who in the past have used the Mac platform's relatively small software selection as a favorable argument, will now switch to promoting the "more is better" side. Android fanboys will then claim that they have quality over quantity vs. the iPhone, ignoring that Android has just as many crap apps (percentage-wise, at least) as the iPhone.

I think it's quite the opposite now. iPhone has more apps and better apps too. ANdroid apps are struggling in quality. Whether it's because developer APIs still suck or because developers are all on the iPhone side still (slowly switching over), it's kinda like the Mac vs PC flipped. Except you have to admit Mac software is quite high quality like Safari, iLife, and iWork. On the other hand everything else is trash like RAR apps... LOL.

 

[foghorn67]

I think it's quite the opposite now. iPhone has more apps and better apps too. ANdroid apps are struggling in quality. Whether it's because developer APIs still suck or because developers are all on the iPhone side still (slowly switching over), it's kinda like the Mac vs PC flipped. Except you have to admit Mac software is quite high quality like Safari, iLife, and iWork. On the other hand everything else is trash like RAR apps... LOL.

WTF is wrong with the API? I haven't heard any complaints. And what from I am able to gather, there doesn't seem anything wrong it IMO.

 

[MotF Bane]

Of course, it won't stop fanboys from making fallacious arguments.

This x1000.

 

[gsaldivar]

What Android really needs is a better way to search the market. I would like to just search for 3 star or higher apps with x number of reviews or something like that.

http://www.androidzoom.com/
http://www.androlib.com/
http://www.cyrket.com/m/android/
http://www.appbrain.com/

 

[pm]

The original article is insightful. It's more than a bit slanted ("On Maemo, thanks to the fantastic browser and screen resolution plus the huge amount of codecs supported"...) , but still insightful. I knew there were a lot of specific e-book apps on the iPhone store, but I had no idea there were 36k of them.

I will say, that while the premise of the article is generally correct - that a lot of apps doesn't mean that there are a lot of really good apps - there does seem to be some form of correlation between total app counts and total high-quality compelling apps. I have played with Maemo a bit (I work for Intel), and I have played with Android a fair bit - and I really, really like it - and I've goofed around with coding an Android app - I actually have a small demo that I wrote. I like Android a lot, but I have to say that in general the iPhone tends to have more of the apps that I want and the ones that exist on both tend to be more polished on the iPhone.

I think the app count "war" between the platforms is a bit of marketing game, but even so, there does seem to be some sort of basis in reality. Android is catching up quickly though...

What Android really needs is a better way to search the market. I would like to just search for 3 star or higher apps with x number of reviews or something like that.

The iPhone needs something like this too.

Using the examples that gsaldivar posted I found this for the iPhone/Touch:
http://www.appexplorer.com/?so=&q=

 

[MrX8503]

From my experience, fanboys of any platform are just as bad as the next fanboy. Doesn't really matter if they are biased towards Android or iPhones.

I tend to look at all the facts and make my decision from there. I know that there are some Android fans that hate to hear it, but the iPhone not only has more apps, but more quality apps as well.

So in the argument of quality vs quantity? Well the iPhone beats Android in both areas. iPhone apps are just more fully featured and more polished than the Android alternatives. I have traversed through the countless apps from both Android and iPhone, and anyone can see that the Android Apps quality just isn't there yet.

Hopefully over the next few years Android can up their quality.

 

[Spoooon]

http://www.androidzoom.com/
http://www.androlib.com/
http://www.cyrket.com/m/android/
http://www.appbrain.com/

I should have clarified: from within the Market. I shouldn't need to get on the computer or browse to a website for more robust search options.

 

[Glitchny]

I should have clarified: from within the Market. I shouldn't need to get on the computer or browse to a website for more robust search options.

I agree, but with the new ability to install apps on your phone from the website directly it works for now.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Isn't every platform basically inundated with crap apps? I remember searching for a more full-featured alarm clock for my Android phone and I uncovered a tsunami of overpriced clock widgets costing from $5 to $50 each, all by the same developer.

Either way, it doesn't really matter. Once you have more than a couple thousand apps, it doesn't really matter whether you have 50k, 100k, 200k, or more. Of course, it won't stop fanboys from making fallacious arguments. Apple fanboys, who in the past have used the Mac platform's relatively small software selection as a favorable argument, will now switch to promoting the "more is better" side. Android fanboys will then claim that they have quality over quantity vs. the iPhone, ignoring that Android has just as many crap apps (percentage-wise, at least) as the iPhone.

I to have looked for a good alarm clock app and just as you mentioned there are tons and tons of them but most of them are all from the same outfit. I think the Apple app store is better in the sense that there appears to be a floor below which an app is not permitted whereas with Android it's anything goes. When you search for an app and find there are hundreds of choices how the h*ll do you determine which of them, if any, is any good?

Google/Android had better find a way to sort through the cr*p so that the average user has at least a chance of finding something decent without trying a ton of cr*p first. I am planning to switch from ATT/iPhone to Sprint/Evo in June and this will be my first Android phone. If the app store/market doesn't get sorted out, and soon, then the Evo may be my last Android phone/product!


Brian

 

[Bateluer]

If the app store/market doesn't get sorted out, and soon, then the Evo may be my last Android phone/product!


Brian

No, it won't.

 

[Brian Stirling]

I'm not joking about the need to see some sorting out of the app market for Android. If something isn't done soon I can well imagine Apple mocking Android with an ad campaign refering to Android apps with the slogan " there's cr*p for that!"

I don't need 800 Alarm Clock apps and don't want to try out 200 of them to find the one that's passable.


Brian

 

[AstroManLuca]

I'm not joking about the need to see some sorting out of the app market for Android. If something isn't done soon I can well imagine Apple mocking Android with an ad campaign refering to Android apps with the slogan " there's cr*p for that!"

I don't need 800 Alarm Clock apps and don't want to try out 200 of them to find the one that's passable.


Brian

And the iPhone with its 200k apps isn't drowning in crap?

Every mobile platform, no, every software platform of any kind has crap available for it. In fact, the vast majority of all the software ever written for every platform is bad and you wouldn't want to use it.

The Android Market could use some better sorting options, for sure. Sort by rating, number of ratings... filter by free vs. paid. Filter out certain developers! That would be nice - I like the idea of blocking hundreds of spam apps with just a few targeted filters. But I don't think there's any way of keeping bad or pointless apps from entering the respective app stores. Android is obviously pretty open to anyone who wants to write for it, and Apple's stricter approval process still hasn't curbed bad apps.

 

[shortylickens]

There are plenty of quality apps and junk apps regardless of platform.

What Android really needs is a better way to search the market. I would like to just search for 3 star or higher apps with x number of reviews or something like that.

If you look closely at the reviews you will see most folks assign stars based on their mood that day. Do not base your decisions on ratings alone. Most people are insane or stupid or both.
If an app looks like something you'd wanna use, try it yourself.

-
As for the topic at hand. It seems to me that on the PC side of things, Apple always bragged that they had fewer apps than Microsoft cuz just about everything they had was golden and you didnt have to search through as much crap to get the same or more tasks done on your Mac.
Now with the advent of mobile computing, they seem to have reversed that policy. One of their main bragging points on the iPhone is they have the biggest app store.
:hmm:

 

[dwell]

Now with the advent of mobile computing, they seem to have reversed that policy. One of their main bragging points on the iPhone is they have the biggest app store.
:hmm:

Yet the usual suspects complained when they started banning bad apps and porn.
:hmm:

 

[Fingolfin269]

The mobile app war is basically like the car horsepower war. More does not necessarily mean better but all eyes are on the number.

 

[Brian Stirling]

And the iPhone with its 200k apps isn't drowning in crap?

Every mobile platform, no, every software platform of any kind has crap available for it. In fact, the vast majority of all the software ever written for every platform is bad and you wouldn't want to use it.

The Android Market could use some better sorting options, for sure. Sort by rating, number of ratings... filter by free vs. paid. Filter out certain developers! That would be nice - I like the idea of blocking hundreds of spam apps with just a few targeted filters. But I don't think there's any way of keeping bad or pointless apps from entering the respective app stores. Android is obviously pretty open to anyone who wants to write for it, and Apple's stricter approval process still hasn't curbed bad apps.

No, I think the Apple app store has a bunch of junk as well, my feeling is that with the Apple app store there is something akin to a floor below which few apps fall whereas with Android there is no floor and, by my estimation, the average quality level is less than Apple. Again, I do hope we develop a better method for sorting through the cr*p so that you do not have to try out dozens of cr*ppy to find the one decent one you want/need.


Brian

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

WTF is wrong with the API? I haven't heard any complaints. And what from I am able to gather, there doesn't seem anything wrong it IMO.

I'm sure the API is fine. I'm just wondering (with no knowledge myself of course) if the API is a problem and part of the reason why we're not getting top notch apps for Android.

I like to talk about the first few months of the Apple App store because some of the top apps came out in that period. Tap Tap revenge, Flight Control, etc etc and other early games that are no longer on the top of the charts anymore are infinitely better than anything we have on Android today (lulz@GuitarHero.... looks like an SNES game or something).

I sold off my iPhone and iPod Touch before the 3rd gen iPod so I'm probably almost a full year behind in apps. I'm sure they've only gotten better.

The problem is that there are apps that came out with the launch of the 2.0 OS that are BETTER than what we have years after Android Market's come out. And if you take apps 2 years later after the Apple App Store, they'll only be more ahead.

Are the developers really that far from Android? Or hopefully this changes soon

 

[MJinZ]

I think it's quite the opposite now. iPhone has more apps and better apps too. ANdroid apps are struggling in quality. Whether it's because developer APIs still suck or because developers are all on the iPhone side still (slowly switching over), it's kinda like the Mac vs PC flipped. Except you have to admit Mac software is quite high quality like Safari, iLife, and iWork. On the other hand everything else is trash like RAR apps... LOL.

Probably true, I haven't found any truly amazing Android apps, and even the ones I do want, like ETrade is not available on Android.

 

[dwell]

I'm sure the API is fine. I'm just wondering (with no knowledge myself of course) if the API is a problem and part of the reason why we're not getting top notch apps for Android.

I like to talk about the first few months of the Apple App store because some of the top apps came out in that period. Tap Tap revenge, Flight Control, etc etc and other early games that are no longer on the top of the charts anymore are infinitely better than anything we have on Android today (lulz@GuitarHero.... looks like an SNES game or something).

I sold off my iPhone and iPod Touch before the 3rd gen iPod so I'm probably almost a full year behind in apps. I'm sure they've only gotten better.

The problem is that there are apps that came out with the launch of the 2.0 OS that are BETTER than what we have years after Android Market's come out. And if you take apps 2 years later after the Apple App Store, they'll only be more ahead.

Are the developers really that far from Android? Or hopefully this changes soon

The Android APIs are not the problem, it's the development tools. iPhone development is done with a tool called Interface Builder. While it takes a bit of time to get used to, it's almost impossible to build a bad UI with it. Android uses a XML layout which makes it hard to really figure out what your UI will look like without a edit, compile, run cycle. On top of that, Android devices differ wildly in screen resolution, screen size, etc where iPhone is almost a fixed platform in that respect. In order to ensure your app looks ok on multiple Android devices you either have to test on multiple physical devices or set up AVDs (Android Virtual Devices) that mirror existing hardware.

 

[Deeko]

The Android APIs are not the problem, it's the development tools. iPhone development is done with a tool called Interface Builder. While it takes a bit of time to get used to, it's almost impossible to build a bad UI with it. Android uses a XML layout which makes it hard to really figure out what your UI will look like without a edit, compile, run cycle. On top of that, Android devices differ wildly in screen resolution, screen size, etc where iPhone is almost a fixed platform in that respect. In order to ensure your app looks ok on multiple Android devices you either have to test on multiple physical devices or set up AVDs (Android Virtual Devices) that mirror existing hardware.

Basically, you're saying the developers are lazy.

I won't pretend to be an expert but I've used the Android SDK and dev tools. Its *not* that hard to create multiple AVDs with different screen sizes, resolutions, Android versions, etc. If there's an app that looks great on the Droid but terrible on the G1, well, then that developer is just lazy.

It comes with the territory of having an open platform on multiple devices - it takes more work to get something that works well on the most platforms. Its not like Apple is totally immune to this. I don't have an iPad but I've read reports of how awful various of iPhone apps look on it. Again...it just comes with the territory.

 

[dwell]

Basically, you're saying the developers are lazy.

I won't pretend to be an expert but I've used the Android SDK and dev tools. Its *not* that hard to create multiple AVDs with different screen sizes, resolutions, Android versions, etc. If there's an app that looks great on the Droid but terrible on the G1, well, then that developer is just lazy.

It comes with the territory of having an open platform on multiple devices - it takes more work to get something that works well on the most platforms. Its not like Apple is totally immune to this. I don't have an iPad but I've read reports of how awful various of iPhone apps look on it. Again...it just comes with the territory.

Well, the layout *should* scale despite hardware differences. So you are correct in that it's the programmer's fault. I am certain that if Apple were to release an iPhone with a different resolution or aspect ratio, thousands of apps would break. It's one of the reasons for the hokey aspect ratio on the iPad.

At the end of the day though, developers *are* lazy (on both sides). They are always going to take shortcuts which is why a lot of Android apps looks poor compared to their iPhone analogs and why many iPhone apps will break if Apple ever makes any major changes to the display hardware.

 

[SunnyD]

What's wrong with boobs and thongs?