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Dec. 2, 2009

Two weeks ago, Skyhook Wireless ran a survey among mobile apps developers and its study reveals that some developers are pulling away from Android in favor of the iPhone platform.

The survey also suggests a general dissatisfaction and overall exasperation with the Android platform among the mobile developer community.

Low download volumes, coupled with poor marketplace design and the lack of an effective consumer billing system were among some of the many complaints.

On average, about 82 percent of those surveyed indicated the design of the Android Marketplace makes it very difficult for mobile apps to be noticed, and about 57 percent of the Android developers are not satisfied with the revenues generated so far.

For example, Google Checkout is a major issue. More than 42.9 percent report they would sell more apps if Android used wireless carrier billing or another simpler billing system.

Furthermore, less than 9.9 percent of Android developers are currently serving ads.

In late August, Google introduced new features in the Android Market to improve the overall user experience. However, Gameloft recently made headlines when it said it was backing off the Android platform in favor of the iPhone simply because it's rather difficult to make revenue in the Android application store.

To this date, Skyhook hasn't announced any partners yet but expects Android device manufacturers will ship with Skyhook's technology next year.

Besides wireless handset makers, Skyhook also works with wireless developers that license its technology for mobile applications.

But the Android platform still represents a lot of potential for great distribution. It just simply needs some fine tuning, according to Kate Imbach, vice president of marketing at Skyhook, which supplies location and GPS technology for the iPhone.

Imbach added "there are just not a lot of paid apps in the Android Marketplace and developers are sticking with or returning to the iPhone for the monetization opportunities. It's also difficult to search for mobile apps in the Android store, which only further compounds problems even more.

Over the next few months, it will be interesting to see how this goes. Google has invested considerable money and resources into Android and we're sure it won't let that go that easily.

Rumor now has it that last Friday Google appointed a new manager that will help steer Android in the right direction. A voice mail message left to a Google spokesperson late yeaterday wasn't returned at press time.

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Source: Skyhook Wireless.