I am trying to get an understanding of what a developer thinks about when developing an app for mobile phone users. Nokia has a ton of share in the smartphone market (something like half), yet developers write to Apple, Android and others over Nokia.

Can you all shed any light on whether this is because Symbian/Maemo is tougher to develop to, or what the issue may be? I have read that a good iPhone app couldn't port to Symbian, and would have to run on Maemo, of which there are limited users - would this explain it? Are the economics to the developer a turnaway from one or the other?


I am trying to finish a research project on Nokia and have come to my wits end given my lack of technical expertise.

Thanks in advance for your insight!

Large volume sales often attracts more developers, or the future possibility of getting involved in commercial development.

I think qt changes this.

Do they? Do you have figures? How would you know how many applications there are for each of the platforms you mention - and how many developers?

I don't have any experience at all, but people tell me it's difficult to develop for Symbian (and Maemo), while doing a quick application for the iPhone or Android is simple. Also, Nokia suffers from fragmentation: As the owner of a Symbian/S60 device, you will not "see" (=be able to use) a huge amount of S60-software; there's S60v5-applications that won't run on S60v3 devices, there's software that will run on one S60v3-device, but not on another... All of this may give the impression that there are fewer applications "for Nokia", even though what they see is only the number of applications for one of many Nokia devices.

As a final thought: I own a S60v3 device, and to be honest, there's little you'll want to install on it in terms of third party software. It's basically complete out of the box.

But I think the most important thing is what I said in the first paragraph: As long as you don't have exact figures (n developers write m applications for platform A, x developers write y applications for platform B,....), it's really no use at all trying to find reasons for what's only an assumption.

Nokia is like entry level device manufacturer, and yes I paid 600USD for N900. But still most of their devices are cheap phones. Google is a GIANT that makes things work, and people love them and use them, blogger, picasa, android, google maps, youtube, and so on... if you put some investment it will definitely not disappear. Apple is HIGH-END, decent MacBook is like 2000USD, and you can get same spec. HP for half the price, So developers know that people are not saving pennies if they own some of apples stuff. Think about Nokia. Entry level smarts, feature-phones, this not the place where you will profit... Plus developing for apple is prestigious. you can put a title: also available on iPhone, which feels good. If you make it nokia it will sound same as Also works on LG or SAMSUNG... You know apple so magical and revolutionary. And google is so great and fiendly, and Nokia is...

Ok - but even if it is prestigious, why don't more developers offer their app on all of the platforms? How much work must be done to port something written on iPhone over to Symbian, Android and Blackberry?

come on nokia smartphones have generally been some the best smartphones around have to give them credit where its due difference is nokia cater to all price points

can you elaborate for an ignorant guy like me?

The major reasons (I think) why a developer would gravitate towards the Apple iPhone are:

1) Apple has created a pleasant and engaging User Interface (UI). Apps look good on the iPhone.

2) More importantly, purchasing an App on the iPhone is near-frictionless. The purchasing ecosystem is incredibly well developed - all a user needs to do is click to purchase. Easier than buying something on Amazon.com. Compare how difficult it is on other platforms.

3) Apple promotes apps.

4) Apple has an easy platform to develop to.

Apple promotes the phones and the app is a major selling point to their marketing strategy, therefore it is in their interest to make it hassle free, to make it smooth. To fill it with, and here is the secret. Quality apps, people want. There is a series of people at Apple that act as gate keepers, making sure there is nothing dodgy, nothing bad and making sure there are apps to sell. (Some would say these people are too powerful but it is jobs rules)

Android via google is the same, using the app store to shift phones and so they make an easy to use language, a well supported and backed app store, a nice place to navigate and work with for both customers and developers and the languages are not that bad. And overall one platform.

Rules for apple say use the one language so all phones and the ipad can use the phone, android has had some changes but they develop in one language and when a benchmark is reached there is details of how to get round it so developers can work to make things smooth again.

Nokia has just been horrible in handling all of this, bad decisions at the top have not pushed symbian properly, or backed it and then changed their mind, like making it open source then not, differing the s60 releases to not be compatible. Or not seeing the future, Nokia perhaps thought people will just be happy with differing versions. All of the above most likely?

When they decided to up their game and compete with android and pushed maemo, which is pants because just as soon as they try and push it, they release an appalling phone as the flagship, and then change their minds again by merging with meego and introducing the whole QT thing which has mixed reviews. Look at the Ovi store, filter different phones and you can see people programme in differing numbers for each OS.

Not good for a developer who would look at the politics. Two nice and shiny, polished and smooth finished products with a good pedigree. Or a political mess of programming languages that have just had another one added and the one flagship phone is riddled with issues of basic functionality and forums filled with grief.

Easy to see why most of the developers go where the money is. The only selling point to Maemo is so called 'freedom', because there is no walled garden. (though I find it funny because the freedom is gained by downloading and installing a jail break piece of code to gain access ot freedom, just like the iphone) That 'freedom' does bring some developers into the world, whether they stick around with QT, ANOTHER language to learn and the whole Meego farce, where no one knows the future of hte current platform (Including Nokia)? Who knows?

That is development however, you also need to look at the hardware. Google, Apple and HTC (who are the only really consistant smart phone makers I think) all ensure what they release is the best they can. Yes there is probably one bug on each, but all the hardware is supported and it works to a basic level (SMS, MMS, phone calls, blue tooth, network, qwerty keys exist. etc), getting the people on board and getting the customers interested. Nokia however released the N97 without a full stop on the keyboard, then the N900 who hasn't got software to support it's own hardware out the box (the face camera). If they can't do basics, why would a developer jump on board?

Just my tuppence as to why people go the way of the 'creepware' giant google and the 'jobsian nightmare' that is apple.