The iPad has always been miles ahead of most Android tablets in the market today. It’s been the preferred choice for most critics among high end tablets. Many believe that the underlying hardware is the reason for the iPad’s success. Logically speaking, this is only one of the factors. An important factor which outweighs all others is the sheer difference in the quality of apps.
Comparing apps on different platform has always been an arduous task. The number of apps on a platform doesn’t provide a complete picture because the quality aspect is usually completely neglected. Thus, an assembly of apps and app providers is required for comparison. This requires intensive research, with reference to several survey results and also the popularity and cost of an app. After this, a list needs to be prepared and the problems identified.
The first and foremost problem with Android apps is the availability itself. Exclusive apps for tablets are only a handful. The search terms “HD” or “Tablet” on Google Play can be used to identify apps which are exclusive to tablets. The problem here is that most of the apps are tablet specific i.e. they are designed for a particular tablet only. Added to this problem is the lack of organization i.e. even though Google claims that a certain app is compatible with the Asus Transformer Prime, the same app doesn’t turn up on Google Play when accessed through that particular tablet.
This is not the end of the problem. Although an app might fit the description of being exclusive to tablets, the app is actually usually ideal only for a 4 inch screen, which spoils the interface all together. This is the reason why only 12 Android apps make it to the list of 100 best apps, with the remaining belonging to Apple’s iOS. The Android platform may be ideal for testers given the sheer number of problems with many apps, but from a consumer perspective Apple’s iOS is definitely a better choice.
As already mentioned, the main problem that Android currently faces is that most of the apps are formatted for phones. They are unable to deliver proportional performance levels on tablets and thus do not use the hardware ideally. The iPad counterparts on the other hand offer improved performance levels and take proper advantage of the increased screen real estate. Other problems that Android tablet apps face is low-resolution levels on the user interface, lesser information displayed per page etc. All these problems lead to increased number of clicks and swipes thus increasing the effort for the user.
Android must take these factors into consideration and design exclusive apps for tablets if they hope to increase their market share in the tablet category.
