开发商日益看好Android 苹果优势缩小

Apple is at risk of losing one of its key competitive advantages over Google’s rival Android system with application developers saying they are warming to Google’s smartphone platform.

苹果(Apple)有可能失去其相对于谷歌(Google) Android操作系统的关键竞争优势之一。应用开发商表示，他们日益看好谷歌的智能手机平台。

The app store on Google smartphones, where users can download games and software, was a key area in which Android smartphones have trailed behind the iPhone.

以前，Android智能手机上的应用商店（用户在此下载游戏和软件）是其落后于iPhone的一个关键领域。

However, the sheer scale of Android, which now accounts for three out of every four smartphones sold, is commanding developers’ attention, despite their difficulties in making as much money on Android as on Apple’s App Store, which holds credit card details for more than 400m people.

然而，Android手机的庞大规模（如今占智能手机销量的四分之三）正引起应用开发商的注意，尽管他们在Android平台上赚到的钱很难与他们在苹果App Store中赚到的匹敌。苹果App Store目前保有逾4亿人的信用卡资料。

“Android is the platform of growth, said Misha Lyalin, chief executive of Zeptolab, creator of the popular Cut the Rope mobile games.

“Android是带来增长的平台，人气颇高的移动游戏《割绳子》(Cut the Rope)的创建者Zeptolab公司的首席执行官米沙·利亚林(Misha Lyalin)表示。

The availability of apps is a significant consideration when consumers decide which smartphone or tablet to buy as, if they have purchased a lot of apps on one platform they can be reluctant to switch when upgrading their device.

在消费者决定购买哪一款智能手机或平板电脑时，应用的可获得性是一个重大考虑因素，因为如果他们已经购买了某个平台上的大量应用，他们在升级设备时就可能不愿意更换平台。

“Android is doing better than it was, says Benedict Evans, mobile analyst at Enders. “The [developer] tools are better and the base is clearly huge. People aiming for ubiquity or mass scale will go for Android.

“Android的表现比前一阵要好。Enders的移动行业分析师班尼迪克·埃文斯(Benedict Evans)表示，“（开发）工具更好了，基础显然很庞大。看重普及率或大规模的人将选择Android。

However, he says developer feeling remains “very mixed on the relative merits of the two market leaders, with Apple’s App Store containing a richer selection of high-quality apps because of the greater ability to sell them rather than rely on advertising for income.

不过，他表示，开发商面对两个市场领跑者各自的相对优势，心情仍“非常矛盾。苹果App Store包含更丰富的优质应用，原因是其销售应用的能力更为强大，开发商不用靠广告来创收。

In November, Apple had about 700,000 available apps, as did Google. Apple vets apps before they can enter its store whereas Google does not review any Android apps before making them available, giving developers more freedom but increasing the risks for users.

11月份，苹果有大约70万应用，谷歌也差不多有这么多应用。苹果在应用进入其商店之前会对它们进行审查，而谷歌在陈列Android应用之前并不审查，开发商因此具有更大的自由，但这也增加了用户的风险。

However, the search company has made greater efforts to help users find the best software, as well as selling films, books and music, with the launch of Google Play in March.

不过，这家搜索企业自3月份推出Google Play以来，已加大努力帮助用户找到最佳软件，同时也销售电影、图书和音乐。

Although the competition for mobile talent remains fierce, the falling costs and wider skills needed to create apps mean it has become more feasible to develop for multiple platforms.

虽然争夺移动人才的竞争仍十分激烈，但不断下降的成本和创建应用所需的更全面技能意味着，针对多种平台开发应用的可行性有所提高。

In September, Google said 25bn apps had been downloaded to Android devices, a milestone Apple reached the previous March. By October, Apple had surpassed 35bn downloads.

9月份，谷歌表示，Android设备应用下载次数达到250亿，苹果是在3月份达到这一里程碑的。截至10月份，苹果应用下载次数已突破350亿大关。