'There's just not enough demand now for Android tablet apps'

[RockdaMan]

Interesting. Doesn't bode well for the Touchpad or the Playbook. You get the feeling that Apple, MS and Google + partners are going to take this thing...

Four months after its release, users are left wondering where the sweet Honeycomb apps are. We track down the reasons for their absence.

We delved into the mystery, reaching out to a number of prominent Android developers for the answers to these questions and more. In our quest for answers, we sought out primarily developers who have successful Android apps that are also available for the iPad, but don't yet have a Honeycomb version. And while we uncovered several significant reasons, virtually everyone agreed on the main underlying cause: There's just not enough demand now for Android tablet apps.

If history repeats itself and Android 4.0 is to 3.0 what Android 2.0 was to 1.0, we'll see a major app explosion. This puts a lot of pressure on Ice Cream Sandwich to be the giant leap forward everyone is hoping it will be, especially with the much-improved iOS 5 and Windows Phone 7 Mango updates coming out around the same time.

And if it does mean that developers are going to wait for the next step in both OS and hardware, it may take some time before Android tablet apps really start flooding in. It will likely be a slower trickle until a device comes out that everyone drools over. Honeycomb's reviews have been more positive than negative, but everyone seems to think it feels a bit unfinished. This means that there probably won't be a device that everyone wants until a major update comes out.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/23120...comb_apps.html

[wodin]

That plus the fact that very nearly ALL android apps work just fine on my 7" Galaxy Tab (Froyo).

[bhartman36]

Originally Posted by wodin

That plus the fact that very nearly ALL android apps work just fine on my 7" Galaxy Tab (Froyo).

I was thinking that, too. I've got an Android tablet, and I can't think of an app that doesn't work fine on it. And that's not even under Honeycomb. My tablet's still on Froyo.

In other words, from what I've seen, Android scales up the apps pretty well. I don't see a lot of apps that need optimizing for tablets. The problem I've had is in the opposite direction: I can't get tablet-optimized apps on my tablet because I can't run Honeycomb on it.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by bhartman36

I was thinking that, too. I've got an Android tablet, and I can't think of an app that doesn't work fine on it. And that's not even under Honeycomb. My tablet's still on Froyo.

In other words, from what I've seen, Android scales up the apps pretty well. I don't see a lot of apps that need optimizing for tablets. The problem I've had is in the opposite direction: I can't get tablet-optimized apps on my tablet because I can't run Honeycomb on it.

Apps may scale well, but they don't make use of the extra real state on tablets. Honeycomb has additional APIs that allow apps to change the layout based on the screen (so you could for instance have a 2-pane window on a tablet, and a single pane on a phone). Apps will only look at their best when they use the new APIs and are optimized for larger screens.

[bhartman36]

Originally Posted by afv011

Apps may scale well, but they don't make use of the extra real state on tablets. Honeycomb has additional APIs that allow apps to change the layout based on the screen (so you could for instance have a 2-pane window on a tablet, and a single pane on a phone). Apps will only look at their best when they use the new APIs and are optimized for larger screens.

You've got a point there. I guess I just didn't know what I was missing. But the apps still work fine in their scaled-up versions. That's why I think talking about only how many Android apps were specifically designed for tablets doesn't tell the whole story. You've got a plethora of apps that will work just as well on the tablets as they do on the phones. They're not windowed versions of the apps like they sound like they are (right now) on the TouchPad.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by afv011

Apps may scale well, but they don't make use of the extra real state on tablets. Honeycomb has additional APIs that allow apps to change the layout based on the screen (so you could for instance have a 2-pane window on a tablet, and a single pane on a phone). Apps will only look at their best when they use the new APIs and are optimized for larger screens.

Oh, you mean like TouchDown Exchange client? That automatically switches between tablet mode (2-panes) and phone mode (single pane) depending on if it's running on a phone or a tab?

Yup, works fine!

[GreenMonkey]

Originally Posted by bhartman36

You've got a point there. I guess I just didn't know what I was missing. But the apps still work fine in their scaled-up versions. That's why I think talking about only how many Android apps were specifically designed for tablets doesn't tell the whole story. You've got a plethora of apps that will work just as well on the tablets as they do on the phones. They're not windowed versions of the apps like they sound like they are (right now) on the TouchPad.

Or apps in ipad-scaled fuzzy-vision (man, the Facebook app looks like crap on my wife's ipad).

Android apps scale VERY well. Honestly, I don't really think you NEED tablet versions of apps on a 7" tablet - gmail is perfect on my NC. I can see it on a 10" device though - the real estate is a bit wasted on those.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by wodin

Oh, you mean like TouchDown Exchange client? That automatically switches between tablet mode (2-panes) and phone mode (single pane) depending on if it's running on a phone or a tab?

Yup, works fine!

yes, that's exactly the idea. I dont have a honeycomb tablet to try the app and you sound sarcastic (sorry if I misread it) . anything wrong with that app?

[wodin]

Originally Posted by afv011

yes, that's exactly the idea. I dont have a honeycomb tablet to try the app and you sound sarcastic (sorry if I misread it) . anything wrong with that app?

My SGT is Froyo, and yes, TouchDown runs in tablet mode without HC. You need an MS Exchange email account to use TouchDown, as that's what it is, an Exchange client. But it works well.

Sorry if I sounded sarcastic, it's a reaction to the original blog cited in the OP. I get so tired of fanboi bloggers trying to justify (by implication) why iOS reigns, and upstart Android sux.

[RockdaMan]

232 seems to be the number of apps.

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/...d-tablet-apps/

Furthermore, there are apps that run only on the Samsung Galaxy, some that run only on the Motorola Xoom, and so on. (This, as I’ve often pointed out, is the glaring downside of Android’s openness: it’s not really one platform, but a splintered mishmash of different versions.)

In any case, I now understand why Google’s PR folks do not want the total tally publicized. However you count the apps, the total tally today is a fairly low number.

[wodin]

straight from the horse's mouth, yet another fanboi blogger!

[RockdaMan]

Where does your research reveal him to be wrong at?

<crickets> </crickets>

[lestatar]

Originally Posted by wodin

That plus the fact that very nearly ALL android apps work just fine on my 7" Galaxy Tab (Froyo).

Ditto.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by RockdaMan

Where does your research reveal him to be wrong at?

<crickets> </crickets>

No research is needed to recognize biased spin.

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by wodin

No research is needed to recognize biased spin.

Nor a non-answer.

What Andy Rubin envisioned for Android before Jobs showed him the light: