By Joseph T. Sinclair
In a prior article entitled The Book App, I reported that Kindle Fire has outsold iPads. I remembered that incorrectly from the statistics, and I should have reported out-polled. The source I read had reported not sales but the results of a preference poll.
Yesterday, when Apple announced their new iPads, the company claimed that iPads have about 90% of the tablet market. I have another source that shows iPads with about 40% of the tablet market, Samsung with about half that market share, and the remaining 40% split between others. There is yet another source that puts the iPad market share at 68%. It is hard to know what to make of these conflicting statistical claims. Nonetheless, I think it is safe to assume that about half the market is iOS (Apple) and half Android. After all, it is known that Samsung smart phones outsell the iPhone and that the Android is growing faster than iOS. Android apps are not the same as iOS apps. Thus, when making book apps, you either have to make two versions or decide in which of the two markets you want to make your sales. It is unlikely that this situation will change for a long time. In fact, Microsoft with Win 8 is likely to become a third major mobile competitor in the next few years. Fortunately, authoring software will eventually make this a moot concern, as you will be able to export your book app easily to either Android or iOS formats.