Yesterday I came across an article on CNET titled, “In mobile, do developers or consumers matter most?” and immediately thought, “Who cares what developers think, at least the ones who want to make money?”
The article describes the oft-cited displeasure that developers have with Apple and its policies, and how it may cause defections to other platforms. Yet the article also says this about the iPhone:
“…for most consumers, their mobile device of choice is a lifestyle decision, a personal, ever-present extension of themselves…”
With the exception of the words “mobile devices,” this statement could apply equally to the clothes a consumer buys, car they drive or restaurant they frequent. For those products, does it really matter what their makers think as opposed to what consumers want? That seems like a question that answers itself when you consider as well that products require distribution channels.
The “developer versus Apple” debate so pervasive right now is missing the big picture; most developers drawn to mobile come from traditional b-to-b development organizations where for years they have become accustomed to a model “all about them,” more or less. When taken into the realm of consumer marketing, that is a dangerous point of view for anyone interested in creating successful mobile applications.
The situation reminds me of Walmart’s long-standing reputation as being difficult with its suppliers, squeezing ever smaller margins from them in exchange for access to millions of consumers.
With Apple’s App Store expected to grow three fold in 2010 to 300,000 applications, the iPhone will remain the go to platform for marketers despite the emergence of Google’s Android. When you consider the reported difficulties developers are having with Android and projections of perhaps 70,000 Android Apps in 2010, the situation isn’t likely to change.
Marketers would be wise to align themselves with mobile application developers who recognize success means taking on the perspective of the mobile customer. Such firms are more likely to possess both the technical expertise and distribution channel know how necessary to build apps that stand out from the crowd.
