Comments on: Mac Dev Notes: iOS and Android Development Compared

By: nuno pinto

nuno pinto — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:32:34 +0000

RT @HubaSolutions: Mac Dev Notes: iOS and Android Development Compared http://t.co/0izsX0Q1

By: Huba Solutions

Huba Solutions — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:28:34 +0000

Mac Dev Notes: iOS and Android Development Compared http://t.co/0izsX0Q1

By: Bluelobe

Bluelobe — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 23:24:35 +0000

“Since Xcode 4 was released, the iOS SDK is no longer free for developers.” is not true. Anyone can register for free and download XCode 3.2.6 and iOS SDK 4.3 –which can still be used to develop iOS apps. When you are ready to sell on the app store, that’s the time you get the $99/year license.

By: jayman

jayman — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 03:35:57 +0000

The emulator on the Android SDK is so slow on Windows it is practically useless. It has been this was since the SDK was first released–why Google does not make it a top priority to fix the multiple deficiencies in its development platform is beyond me..

By: Eric

Eric — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 17:09:53 +0000

Anyone that is a developer is highly likely to already have a PC that is running some version of Windows. So the cost of a Mac Mini for Android development shouldn’t be there. Most people don’t own Macs and so would need to buy one in order to make stuff for IOS devices.

Apple is basically charging a developer the cost of the machine + $99/year.

By: Erel

Erel — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 07:11:43 +0000

Another advantage of Android is that you can develop with other IDEs like IntelliJ or Basic4android. Each environment has its own advantages and disadvantages.

By: David Chu

David Chu — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 06:54:00 +0000

The comparisons are interesting. Still, if you are determined to be an awesome developer, you won’t let Apple’s cost of entry or Google’s platform configuration stop you.

In the end, the battle between the platforms is going to be for high quality devs.

By: partha700

partha700 — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 01:02:29 +0000

Now a days mobile brands also giving some features like apple…is the good as apple?

By: Bertrand Griezeltjes

Bertrand Griezeltjes — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 00:41:50 +0000

The author of this post forgot to mention developing using Adobe AIR, which deploys to iOS (via a cross-compiler) and to devices that support AIR natively, like Android devices and RIM’s playbook.

Publishing with AIR only requires the free FLEX SDK and the free AIR SDK.
You can then publish your app to multiple platforms with a single click.

From a developer’s standpoint things couldn’t be easier.

You might argue that a cross-compiled app for iOS can’t be as efficient as a natively built app, but tons of AIR apps in the app store prove otherwise.

By: Roger

Roger — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 15:20:06 +0000

I am a developer that dabbles in both eco-systems.

Interesting comparison, but I disagree on your assessment of the developer tools for Android. I find the level of integration with the Android SDK to be quite good (ie, not primitive) using Eclipse and the Android plugin. And there are graphical views of the UI available via the plugin when configuring the UI layout via XML.

Undeniably, the Xcode environment is excellent with its level of integration and productivity features for developers and I must say that I do really enjoy the Xcode eco-system. Android being a collection of open source tools takes some configuring but once setup properly (which might be a deterrent … but never to a true developer!) can be pretty darn good and very productive as well.

Regarding languages – from my perspective Objective C is a more arcane and difficult language than Java. My programming background is C / C++ / Java and I find the syntax and semantics of Objective C to be just a bit “off-putting” at times. To me Java is the more “fluid” language to develop in.

Lastly this discussion should probably include some mention of what issues/obstacles one would face when releasing to the respective App Stores / Market. This one point might be decisive in some way, as each destination has its pros and cons.

I am using Xcode 3.2.6 and Eclipse 3.6.2 w/the 10.0.0.x plugin/SDK on a Macbook Pro running OS X 10.6.7.

Thanks for an interesting article – I really hadn’t seen something like this before.