Here’s a really interesting tidbit from a man who knows both Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) platforms intimately from a business perspective. Bob Bowman is the head of MLB.com, major league baseball’s very successful digital business. In a Q&A with Peter Kafka of AllThingsD, Bowman had this to say about user behavior on iPhone/iPad vs. Android – emphasis added:
Peter Kafka: You’ve complained publicly before about the difficulty in supporting multiple flavors of Android for your apps. But this year you’ve expanded the number of Android handsets you’re supporting from 6 to 11. Did you ever consider not working with Android at all?
Bob Bowman: The short answer is no. But what we have done is that we don’t support every Android phone. Because at some point, it’s diminishing returns. The Android user typically is less likely to buy, and therefore the ROI on developing for Android is different than it is for Apple.
Why do you think an Android owner behaves differently than an iPhone owner?
The iPhone and iPad user is interested in buying content–that’s one of the reasons they bought the device. The Android buyer is different.
It’s a great phone–make no mistake about it. But if you really want first rate digital content on a device, your first look will probably be an iPhone. And on the tablet, an iPad.
Some more smart writing on the Apple/Droid battle this weekend from Fred Wilson:
I expect (and hope) that iOS will remain a strong competitor to Android. But as I’ve been saying for several years now, I believe the mobile OS market will play out very similarly to Windows and Macintosh, with Android in the role of Windows. And so if you want to be in front of the largest number of users, you need to be on Android.
Photo: svensonsan
Sources:
“Q&A: MLB.com Boss Bob Bowman on Android Owners, Facebook Video and Apple’s Subscription Rules” Peter Kafka, AllThingsD 4/1/11
http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20110401/qa-mlb-com-boss-bob-bowman-on-android-owners-facebook-video-and-apples-subscription-rules/?mod=googlenews
“Android (continued)” Fred Wilson, AVC 4/2/11
http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2011/04/android-continued.html
