When it comes to planning and developing a mobile app one of the very first questions you’ll be faced with is which operating system to launch on. Whilst many would instantly jump to say an iOS app is the most effective starting platform, over the last few months market changes and research on both platforms may cause you to reconsider that thought.

There are of course other operating systems which you could build your mobile app for, but as over 90% of the market share is enjoyed by Apple and Android (Google), it probably best to begin with one of those.

One of the major differences between the two is the revenue stream earned vs the viability of your mobile app. Android offers the best visibility based on absolute market share figures, but a survey by Distimo has found that 73% of all app revenue was generated in Apple’s App Store, compared to just 23% for Google Play. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean that plying straight for an iOS app is the perfect option, it may be worthwhile having a different strategy for each platform – perhaps making it free on Android to drive downloads and visibility and charging a small fee through Apple to make income.

Regardless of how much revenue each store generates, the way to ensure the best results is to go where your customers are. Although you would think there was an even spread of users across both the Android and Apple markets there are some distinctive differences. The range of Android phones available means that their market is much wider; cheaper phones appeal to a different audience to the top of the range Androids and Apple devices and it’s likely that younger teens and the older market opt for the simpler, low range Android phones.

Research on the app categories most popular in each store is a strong indication of the market too. For iOS users between the ages of 25 and 34, the most popular app category is sports, health and fitness, followed by music, media and entertainment then lifestyle and shopping, according to a recent survey by Flurry. However, for Android the most popular categories are personalisation, entertainment and books and reference, says AppBrain.

Getting as much information about your end user and their smartphone habits as possible is key to choosing which platform to choose, don’t let it be a kneejerk decision.

Image source: Flickr