But the key point is for now. Given current market trends, in the not too distant future there will be more money in Android. (Particularly since you don't need to give Apple a 30% cut.)
Actually if you want to sell apps through the Google play store you still need to give google a 30% cut [1]. With android you always do have the option to try through other app stores, or just allowing users to download the .apk from your website. However given how few people actually look anywhere else but the play store, you are going to take a hit much larger than 30% if you are not in google play.
With Android you don't have to go through their store. For example I bought one Humble Bundle [1] pack of Android games (which was quite successful) directly from their website. Then I got a link in my email for their downloads and I could install them directly.
> given how few people actually look anywhere else but the play store
I do not believe the truthfulness of this statement, considering how many services get popular outside any app store. Do you think people find out about Twitter or DropBox by browsing the app store?
> you are going to take a hit much larger than 30% if you are not in google play
It really depends on what channels of distribution you can tap into. Some apps are popular only because they get promoted on the play store. Other apps are popular by other means. And no, you don't necessarily need a middleman.
IMHO, Android is much better in every regard, because on Android the walled garden is optional for everybody.
Heh, actually I bought the Android humble bundle as well. I loved the fact that they could do something like that on Android. Its true that there are loads of services that people find outside the app/play store such as twitter or drop box. But if I wanted to install a drop box client, the first place I would go is to the play store to search for dropbox!
It would be a really interesting experiment for an existing service to host an .apk on their website in addition to listing in the google play store. I wonder how many people would side load the app, vs just going through play?
But at least you have the option of not using their app store. And I doubt that they are as draconian as Apple about in-app additional purchases for apps in their store.
Sure, you have the option of not using their app store. Any sane developer would realize that its financial suicide to ignore Google Play and release a purely sideloaded-apk app (or through Amazon's store, for that matter).
Google charges the same 30% transaction fee for in-app purchases as well, though I don't know what their policy is regarding Dropbox/Kindle/Skydrive-type apps.
From what I understand the policy is roughly: If you are selling something that can be used "outside" your Android app, then you are not required to use Google's payment processor and you can avoid the 30% cut. Amazon (and other ebook vendors) use this to sell books directly from their reader apps. I'm not sure what Dropbox, SkyDrive, etc do.
Can we address this '30% cut' stuff? You are not blithely giving Apple or Google 30% of your 'profit', the 'cut' is actually a fee for hosting, distribution, license management, payment processing, possibly more and yes, a small amount of operating profit. If you sell your app on your own, you'll have to cover those costs yourself.
But the key point is for now. Given current market trends, in the not too distant future there will be more money in Android. (Particularly since you don't need to give Apple a 30% cut.)