Edible Apple

Barry Oneill on the problems plaguing the Android Market:

I conclude therefore that a large proportion of Android users simply cannot purchase and download paid for apps to their phone. I blame Google and its appallingly poor management of the Android market. Despite having a Google Checkout account I still cannot see, never mind purchase paid apps. Of the free apps I see, many infringe the IP of others and many more simply fail to download or don’t work on my specific device. Internet forums are flooded with similar stories.

Fragmentation and technical issues abound, content discovery is difficult, and billing doesn’t work properly. It’s 2006 all over again. I’m all for an “open” market, but Google’s “completely open” policy has resulted in the Android market being a flea market, when compared to Apple’s upmarket mall.

People like to compare Apple’s app store to similar offerings from Android and RIM by simply comparing the number of apps available for each platform. But it’s not just a numbers game, and equally as important as the quantity of apps is the quality of those apps, in addition to the cumulative user experience of browsing and purchasing them.