I love the discussion on this thread. There are some very good well thought out discussions on both sides. I know some people seem a little annoyed I made this topic but I don't think there is anything wrong with a discussion. Of course this is an iPhone/iPod touch site so the arguments are skewed towards iOS, so of course everyone should always keep that in mind. I do think no matter where you stand on this issue, there are without a doubt issues on the Android platform. No matter if it's Google's or Gameloft's fault, the issues with today's free app would not happen on the iOS platform (the App Store doesn't have many of the same issues as the Andriod market that liekly keep Gameloft away from it). One thing I'm curious about is how fragmentation will work long term. We all know that Windows has about 90-95% of the personal computer market compared to Mac OS. I'm a little too young to remember those times, so I'm curious why exactly Windows took over. Is it due to the fact that Microsoft licensed out their OS to every manufacturer under the sun while Apple kept hardware in house? If so, then why wouldn't the same happen long term with Android and Windows Phone 7? There are probably dozens of smartphones made by other manufacturers that will run Android or Windows Phone 7 compared to the one or two iPhones that run iOS.
One thing that people forget when comparing iOS vs Android to Mac vs Windows was that Mac was never the dominate gaming or computing platform. When the Mac came out MS DOS was firmly entrenched with the massive hardware and software developer support. In mobile devices it is Apple that is in this enviable position. This difference renders the analogy somewhat moot, IMHO.
A question I've been wondering about, but have yet to get a clear answer on... Why did Apple go exclusively with AT&T for the iPhone? Did AT&T help pay for the iPhone's development or something? I don't understand that decision at all, and I bet this discussion wouldn't even exist today if the iPhone was available on all of the major networks from the start.
I'm sure AT&T paid them a ton of money somehow. Also, isn't AT&T the one who pays the $400 they knock off the retail price so you only have to pay $200 for a new iPhone with a 2 year contract? I know at first you had to pay $600 to get the 1st gen iPhone (then $400 later).
I don't know if anybody pointed this out, but android is bad at one thing... BEING UNIFORM! It's hard for developers to create apps that work on ALL the android phones. There are ones that run 2.0, 1.6, blah blah blah Also, the hardware is very different in every phone. Some may have a SuperAMOLED display, while another one's display is crap. One might have a control stick on it, while others don't, etc. This is what windows phone 7 tried to avoid, but right now that doesn't seem like it'll take over anytime soon either
info Ok this is the super short version of why most PC have windows OS on then. Alot of facts will be left out , to keep it short. In the past you had Apple, IBM,Amiga, etc. A young upstart named Bill Gates made a OS call windows. The reason for the name Windows is instead of being able to open only one page at a time(single task) you where able to have many tasks open at once(multi-tasking) . Plus in the Windows OS it made computers user friendly with many easy to access help sections. Now people who thought computer where to hard , found using windows made it so much easier. Computers became as common as a toaster during this period. Around that time or a little before Apple had fired a Young Steve Jobs and Apple suffered for 2 decades. With no real competition Bate Gates Windows OS became a household name.
They wanted to go with one carrier, Verizon turned them down. They went to AT&T who jumped on it. It's an exclusive contract whose length has been rumored to be many different years in length. With the current rumors of Verizon getting some kind of device (4G? other?) in 2011 then it is safe to say it wasn't the 5 years as once thought. Big bucks are paid for any kind of exclusivity contracts, especially one of this magnitude. But the difference in price from the full price of the phone and the contracted price is just like any other phone you get - you get a discount for signing up for the service for x years. So you might get a phone with a 2 year agreement for 199 but if you lost that phone, broke that phone, or whatever to the phone and went to replace it it would cost you probably around 5-6 hundred dollars. They would rather have the long term customer and lure you in with a "discount" on the phones. So it is AT&T that is winning in the end with penalties for early termination and the like. Maybe there is something written in the contract with Apple for bonuses or percentage cuts, but that document is one of the most guarded secrets around!
It's related because a reason some give on why Android could very well dominate the smartphone OS market in the next few years because they mimic Microsoft's actions when Windows was giong head to head against the Apple Macintosh. Microsoft licensed out windows to a ton of manufacturers while Apple kept the Mac OS to just Apple created hardware. The same exists here. Only Apple products run iOS while Google is trying to put Andriod on as many different phones as possible.
The iOS has a strong base for gaming. Android...not so much. Then again, you are asking your question on an iDevice Forum, so you are going to get biased answers. Basically, I see iOS gaming going much father than Android. iOS is just smoother all around and runs better, and not to mention, better developers (and more).
frag Ok lets look at this question as though you are a developer. You are trying to decide which platform you want to invest in and learn how to develop for. These are a couple of things to consider. 1) Will my app run on all devices in which OS I make it for? Iphone/ipod YES Android NO Windows Mobile7 NO 2) Am I going to be able to choose from many development tools? Iphone/ipod YES Android NO Windows Mobile7 NO 3) Will my app sell enough for me to live off of? Iphone/ipod YES Android NO (unless your EA,Gameloft,etc.) Windows Mobile7 Not enough data yet Ok now ask yourself , which platform do you feel developers will stick to. The platform that is developer friendly always wins.
@Krehol Games For 1), not necessarily. First gen devices already have software limitations (no iOS 4), and they won't run the most 3D-intense games. I mean sure, they can probably run the casual 2D game, but depending on the game, there may be software/hardware limitations. For 3), again, not necessarily. If your game ain't good enough, you won't be making much, especially not to live off of.
Well I haven't read the thread so I don't know if this has been said but... Android has terrible games. Its too easy to pirate them and to many different phones, which is why Gameloft doesn't support it. The open market has no approval process and even though the App Store is "closed" it has some quality control so I don't seep through a bunch of garbage unless its in the top 25. No polish or unification, I have a Droid and its terrible for media/gaming but I like it as a pure smartphone. Most people have iPods to go with it. Windows Phone 7 however might become something.
Gameloft does support it. You just have to purchase the games directly from their website not the Market.
Slight side note regarding windows 7phone... Seems like their sales have been really sluggish (they waited all of like a week to start a buy one get one free deal...) However... Seen some nice apps/games being developed for it... "awareness" for example, the originally iOS app that adjusts headphone level based on traffic noise or something. On another note, what are peoples thoughts on the PSP phone rumored? Especially if it turns out to just be an app on an android device. Would love to see the "Marcus" commercial for that...
@Epox What is your definition of "beat"? If it's sheer numbers of android OS devices in the wild... well, yes it makes sense, because there's a fundamental difference: Apple has the iPhone. And for gaming purposes, other iOS devices count... iPad, iPod touch... those sales figures combined are pretty staggering. How many devices with android OS get announced every month? So yeah, I think that a majority of phones (as smartphones are more and more common, even for luddites) will be android, but there's still so much missing from the picture to compete with iOS for gaming.
Nope, because you only have to read Gameloft's Twitter right now with them issuing apologies for app incompatibility just now on the Nexus One and HTC Desire, as well as telling Samsung Galaxy users to ensure they download the correct version for their device as Gameloft "optimise each game for each Android device". Android, in my opinion, is a mess of a platform. Too many iterations of the same OS hiding behind proprietary skins and protocols.
As far as I am concerned, Android for a phone, and touch for mobile gaming is the best combination. A lot of people do not want to carry two devices. I do not mind that. I use my iPod solely for gaming (and a lil bit for music). The only thing i miss from iPhone are some cool camera related apps.
