MARCH 16, 2012 ● Many European software developers claimed Google missed its March payment of proceeds from Android Market content purchases. The developers went to Google’s forums to vent their ire as they claim Google offers no avenue for direct contact between itself and developers.
Impact: A big issue with Android is the lack of a company that has a controlling interest in the platform. With the iOS Apple both makes the hardware and controls the delivery of applications. With Android there are many hardware devices from different manufacturers and Google simply offers a marketplace for applications, Google Play. In theory this allows for Android to be more open than iOS. However, in practice it has created major issues with fragmentation. The idea is that Google can streamline and organize the platform by offering a cohesive marketplace. Right now many developers are frustrated with Android because sales are simply not as strong as they should be given the installed base and compared with iOS. For Google Play to really earn the 30% commission it charges developers, Google needs to do a better job all around and developer support is a crucial place to start.
