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Studies are Showing Increasing Developer Frustration

The Android Market went live almost a year ago and was supposed to be the big answer to Apple’s App Store. But unfortunately, things are not going the way Google had expected. Developers are increasingly not happy with the way things are. Here’s the scoop.

No Profits for Android Developers?
Well, there is profit, just not as much as the developers were expecting there to be. Apparently, according to a study done by SkyHook Wireless, the developers are becoming more and more frustrated with the functionality of the Android Market and they (the developers) are not at all satisfied with their profits and they are also having trouble generating revenue at all. SkyHook noted in their report:

This is the result of very low average download volumes, a poorly designed market, lack of an effective customer billing system, and the incapacity to serve ads. Due to these low profits, developers are becoming hesitant to invest more time and effort into apps that do not pay off.

When Verizon first released the Droid on November 6th, it was said to be the first viable competitor to the iPhone. And so far, the fact remains the same. And even though Windows came out with their Marketplace for Mobile, the Android Market was most likely to directly compete with the App Store alongside the Droid itself. But the one thing that can bring them down is the Android Market itself. According to the study by SkyHook, completed October 30, their findings concluded that:

• 57% of developers said they are not satisfied with their profits on Android
• 90% of developers reported individual app downloads of 10,000 or under on Android.
• 52% of Android developers’ apps were downloaded fewer than 5,000 times.
  Developers are concerned that Google Checkout contributes to their low download volumes
• 43% feel that they would sell more apps if Android used a carrier billing or another simpler billing system.
• 82% of those surveyed feel that the design of the Android Marketplace makes it difficult for apps to be noticed.
• 68% of those surveyed are somewhat or not likely to put further work into their apps, compared to when they first released their app.

Another Looming Problem
Not only is there the problem with the developers not being happy, but they are actually considering not keeping the apps already in the Market up to date. Check out these facts and figures from the same report:

68 percent of developers are only “somewhat likely or not likely” to continue investing time and effort into the apps already on the market and also for new ones. The developers are afraid that because of the fragmentation of the different Android versions, it will make developing the apps more difficult to do.

That fact combined with the figures of very low volume of app sales, with the best sales almost never going over 10,000 units sold collectively for any particular app and 90 percent of those sales taking place within the first 6 months of the release of the app in question. Then developers need to take into account the poor design of the Android Market, where most developers, 90 percent of them, agree that the redesign of the Market has impeded the ability of consumers to actually find the apps, let alone purchase them. The low visibility is absolutely intolerable.

This coupled with the lack of effective advertising makes for very poor sales. Not to mention the lack of an effective consumer billing system too. Put it all together, and you have got some very unhappy developers.

And the Verdict Is?
Overall, most developers are still psyched about the platform’s potential and are hoping the process will become easier in the long run. If it does, it will be the iPhone killer everyone is hoping for. But if not I fear, along with the developers, Android will become just another platform. They need to do something soon, as I am sure they don’t want their developers leaving the Android platform and going where the money flows openly…even if it IS hard to get an app accepted, at least they can make some money off them…

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