iOS or Android Programming?

February 4, 2013

Hi,

So you’re a young nerd programmer who is trying to decide which direction to go in when it comes to programming for mobile devices, should you learn iOS development or Android?

Bottom line: Learn HTML5 and JavaScript development.

Some details:

At this time, Android is by far the most popular mobile OS with about 70% of the market share, whereas iOS accounts for about 20%. But, I was told recently that iOS is much more common online – it seems many Android phone users don’t get a data plan?

If the battle between Windows and Mac tells us anything, it would suggest that Android has a very good chance of winning this in the end … who knows for sure? But who cares, because I believe the majority of the mobile development will actually be HTML5 and JavaScript rather than native Android of iOS development.

Why?

Because HTML5 based applications can do a lot without all the added overhead of having to learn Objective C (for iOS) or Java for Android. And on top of that, you could in many occasions write the HTML5 based application and have it work fine on both Android and iOS devices.

Are HTML5 Apps as fast as Native iOS and Android Apps?

I am not saying HTML5 can do everything a native applications can … and in many cases, they may even run slower. But I’m still guessing that many companies will opt for the cross platform HTML5 route, just because it will save them a lot of money in development cost.

HTML5 & JavaScript are Forward Compatible:

Another added bonus about learning HTML5 development, is that it will not be going away anytime soon – this is almost guaranteed since HTML5 is the Web standard when it comes to traditional web development and mobile.

Besides that, all the major players back HTML5 wholeheartedly … this includes Apple, Google, Microsoft and many others. So whether Android wins in the mobile space or iOS, you will still be able to develop for the mobile Web with HTML5.

Putting my money where my mouth is, I have an HTML5 video course in the KillerVideoStore and we are rebuilding our KillerVideoLibrary using HTML5.

iOS or Android Programming?

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