Developing for iPhone or Android? (As a C# developer) [closed]
I'd like to start developing for iPhone or Android in my spare time, as a chance to learn something new but also hoping make some extra income.
I'm not sure which is the best development for me to start developing on. I own an iPhone, but I don't have a Mac (which I would need to use the SDK), plus with the iPhone I believe there's an annual charge to develop for it.
As far as I understand Android, the SDK is free and can be used on Windows.
Professionally I develop using .net and C#, which sounds more similar to the Java based Android enviroment.
Another negative I perceive against iPhone is it has a much more crowded App Store, I would think apps get better exposure on Android?
Both can be good/bad for various reasons.
iPhone - good
- Great SDK & get to use Xcode which rocks
- Well documented online (many tutorials)
- Large deployed base of devices
- Well established app store
- Get to learn Objective (I find it a fun language)
- Most people tend to upgrade their iPhone OS so you can get away with only developing for the latest and greatest
iPhone - bad
- Crowded app store, very hard to break through (the "gold mine" is a myth)
- App Store apps need to be approved by Apple, with some often rejected for dubious reasons
- Have to buy a Mac (not necessarily a bad thing)
- Have to learn Objective C (can be a hassle)
- Have to pay $99/year to publish apps
- Can only multitask on iPhone 4.0+. Hardware restrictions will mean many devices will not be able to use this however
Android - good
- No restrictions on apps that you can develop/publish
- Wide deployment of devices and growing - set to overtake iPhone soon
- Can multitask on Android
- Get to code in Java which is widely known
- Some of the SDK tools integration with Eclipse is nice (although still needs a bit more work)
- Only have to pay $25 to publish apps (one off fee)
- Can develop on any platform (Mac/Windows/Linux)
- Great Android devices coming out this year - platform could really take off.
- Nice XML way of laying out views. While not as flash-looking as the iPhone Interface Builder, it is very powerful.
- Get to work in Eclipse (which some people think rocks)
Android - bad
- Have to support wide variety of screen sizes and devices
- Many people still using old versions of Android OS (1.5) so you'll probably have to support those if you want to reach that market
- SDK is not as polished as iPhone SDK
- Android Market is not as popular as iPhone App Store - hit apps will not make as much $$$
All in all, starting with whichever is fine in my opinion, especially as now Android is gaining ground. Given your background I'd say you should go for Android.
In my honest opinion - I see the recent changes in iPhone SDK a kick in the teeth. I'm an Adobe person and you would assume, an infinite number of developers begin building applications in CS5 would be great for you App Store? Apparently Apple do not agree.
However - if your looking for exposure, getting an App into the App Store will yield more results if you build a quality app. As the Android store hasn't got a footing yet (if they'll ever be one), all marketing is on your own head.
I recently defunct Apple as they force us developers to 'be them' and I don't agree with their ethos.
That said, having programmed for both, The Android is slightly tricker to get installed and took a very long time to sort itself out. Although the instructions are very good and the examples are well defined.
If you've got a mac, installing the iPhone SDK is a sinch and you ready to build apps. It does cost £50 for the developer connection and yes android is free. [Correction - this may cost a one of fee of $25]
If you are building an iPhone app thats heading for the wild, you will need the connection (this can take up to 3 weeks in my experience) so you can test it on your iPhone.
And you'll definitely need to purchase a Mac.
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With Android, its java, and with the newest rendition, a very good API to work with. As an additional bonus its build upon Eclipse, so it'll take you seconds to understand whats going on.
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As a final thought - being an Actionscript/JS developer, the transition to Java was a logical and simple step and (please don't shoot me if you don't agree) Objective C is a train wreck of two different language styles. I found it very very difficult.
but don't just take my word for it, definitely try them both, as I see Android emerging market just an ice berg right now, but Apples is established.
Two disadvantages of iPhone/iPad apps ecosystem are:
- Apple test & accept apps before puts them into AppStore (this take time and acceptance depends on Apple current policy) -- Google seem not to care about that so much.
- AppStore it's the only official place for iPhone apps -- on Android you can install apps from unsafe source (i.e. website or email attachment) -- so you can provide and charge for app in various ways.
You say you want to (a) learn something new and (b) make some extra income.
As far as (a) goes, your barriers to entry with Android are probably lower. You can develop on Windows, Linux, or Mac; the sdk is free, and there are no charges. Android development is usually done in Java, which is not that different to the c# you already know. So, I'd say get Reto Maier's book and give Android a try. At some point you'll need an Android phone, but you can get some way using the emulator. You won't have to buy a mac or pay for a developer licence.
Once you're familiar with developing for a mobile platform you'll have a better idea of what it takes to build apps that other people will want to use, and maybe even pay for. At that point you can evaluate the platforms from the point-of-view of (b) and decide which one to pursue. If you end-up buying a mac and paying for a development licence then at least you'll be making an informed decision. But get some experience first.
Like you, I'm a c# dev. I've done some Android development for my own amusement, and (for what its worth) my personal opinion is that its a superior platform in comparison to the iphone because it is more open (technologically and commercially). I believe Android will fairly soon either achieve partity with, or even overtake, the iphone.
Try Android, get some mobile experience, then decide.
MonoDroid for Android is in beta, which means you'll be able to write Android apps with C#. You can sign up for the beta here.
iPhones are getting more and more restrictive. Android is opening up. Android is also shipping more phones than iPhone. You decide.
take a look at this book , it's a good reference to decide the 3th way... HTML, javascript & CSS for iPhone and Android at same time, based on webkit, using jQTouch and PhoneGap . You can see on the first chapter the pros and cons.
I would suggest getting your hands on the latest iPhone SDK and a Mac from a friend before taking the plunge unless the $600 minimum investment for a macmini(what I did in my case) doesn't bother you. You could try installing GNUstep for Windows and messing with Objective-C without buying a Mac to check out the language but it's not the same without XCode and Interface Builder,SDK,etc. The reason I say this is because I'm currently taking an iPhone class and just learning Objective-C is a lot larger learning curve than I thought it would be and eating up a lot more of my time than I cared for. Unlike C# or Java you have to manually keep track of memory management which is really annoying and a hassle not to mention Cocoa Touch, which is sort of like .Net or Java classes for Objective-C; another big learning curve! Bottom line neglecting the fact that it is a mix of SmallTalk and C and looks horrible if you can get over that it is still hard and easy to crash your program. Forget to hook up your outlooks correctly in Inteface Builder? CRASH! Forget to use an @ for an NSSTring due to the loose type checking? CRASH! I'm just saying that you'd probably be more productive and actually get applications completed in your spare time going the Android more familiar Java language route vs the Apple route. Also, I'm not sure how big Android is on the whole MVC concept, but it's everywhere in the iPhone SDK since Cocoa uses the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern throughout. On the other hand, if you like a challenge or learning the Apple route is the way to go and if you are good you app will sell and you will make money. Like I said there is a ton to learn with the iPhone before you can even start thinking of selling the next killer app LOL.
p.s. Oh and unless you want to test something on actual hardware that doesn't work in the iPhone/iPad simulator or actually upload an app to the store you don't need to pay the $99 fee to develop.
If you're a C# developer, and you're looking to begin iOS development, then you owe it to yourself to read Josh Smith's iOS Programming for .NET Developers.
It's exactly what you're looking for.
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