Apple right on Android fragmentation, Australian developer warns

Application developers agree making Android apps is too difficult due to the fragmented nature of the operating system and the sheer difficulty in making sure an app can be used on all the different handsets.

The warning comes after Apple chief executive Steve Jobs attacked rival Google yesterday for the “open” nature of the Android OS, saying there are too many devices and too many versions to keep track of.

“We think the open versus closed argument is just a smokescreen for what is best for the customer. Fragmented versus integrated,” he said on a conference call with press and analysts yesterday.

“The first thing most of us think about when we hear the word “open” is Windows, which is available on a variety of devices. Unlike Windows, however, where most PCs have the same user interface and run the same apps, Android is very fragmented.”

Jobs’ comments, which covered everything from the deficiency of 7-inch tablets to bragging over the number of iOS devices activated every day, have sent the tech industry into a spin. But Bjango chief executive Marc Edwards says Jobs actually has a point.

“For the kind of apps we make, where the user-interface is pixel accurate, Jobs’ comments ring true,” he says. “That’s certainly been our response.”

Edwards says the company’s apps, which include the popular Jobs app used in an official Apple advertisement, are not able to be translated to the Android platform due to the sheer number of Android devices in existence – well over 100.

The nature of the Android OS means any manufacturer can change the software to their own needs. So an application that may run on an HTC handset, for example, may not be suited to a Motorola handset because of the slight variations in software.

This differs from Apple’s “closed” network. When the iOS is updated, all devices running the software including iPods, iPhones and iPads, are all able to be updated at once when they are plugged into the iTunes software.

Edwards says it is much easier to develop for the closed iOS platform than it is to work with several different Android handsets to produce a single product. Jobs said the same himself yesterday, noting that “even if Google were right, and the real issue is “closed” versus “open,” it is worthwhile to remember that open systems don’t always win.”

“If we want to go down that road, we would have to buy all the top handsets, which means about five or six handsets, and we’d have to build for all the different resolutions and take into account software differences.”

“The real issue is that there is a huge range of screen sizes, resolutions, aspect ratios and so on. It changes completely between devices and there are some OS fragmentation issues when it comes to coding as well.”

Edwards also points out the upcoming Windows 7 has reverted back to a closed platform, “and is looking a whole lot rosier… Microsoft has put new controls over what manufacturers can do with the software”.

“Android does have a set standard for resolutions, but it’s easy for manufacturers to get around that.”

Jobs joined the conference call yesterday to brag about the company’s first quarter financials. Apple announced revenue of $US20 billion – up 70% – with a $US4.31 billion net quarterly profit. Cash on hand is $US51 billion.

Device sales were also solid, with 14.1 million iPhones sold during the quarter and 3.89 million Macs sold, representing a 27% increase over the previous corresponding quarter.

However, not all the results were well-received. iPad sales were lower than anticipated at just 4.19 million for the quarter, while the company’s gross profit margin came to 36.9%, down from 41.8% last year.

“Investors may have more questions than answers as to why Jobs participated on the call… investors could speculate his appearance was a ‘smokescreen’ to deflect attention from the gross margin weakness or lighter-than-expected iPad unit shipments,” JP Morgan said in a research note.

“Guidance implies a material drop in iPhone 4 gross margins and likely slightly lower iPad margins due to a more rich feature set,” UBS also said in a research note. It says the drop in margins is “largely component related”.

However, both companies say the iPhone 4 and iPad are sure to sell well during the holiday season, and strong growth overseas, especially in China, should deliver some solid gains.

“This success is playing an important role in bolstering the broader Apple brand internationally, thereby opening the door for the Mac and the iPad, whose geographical footprint has room to expand materially,” Oppenheimer said.