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Comment by xinsight | Hacker News Reader

I ported an iOS app to Android. I've sold three (!!) copies while in that same period, the iOS version has sold about 300. I dropped the price from $5 down to $2 over easter and still didn't sell a single copy during the sale.

The two apps have the same content and the sales funnel is exactly the same. (The only difference is the iOS app has lots of 5-star reviews.) It seems clear to me that Android users can't or won't pay for certain kinds of apps.

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To all app developers, please don't give up on Android. If your market is educated middle class folks -- i.e., if you don't sell games and fart apps -- then give us a chance to start showing up in the Android market. Most of us bought iPhones back when they were clearly superior, and we are unwilling to throw away a couple-hundred-dollar piece of electronics that works perfectly fine. The new line of Android phones look great. I'll certainly be there in less than two years, maybe less than a year depending on how long my phone lasts. At that point all my spending will move to the Android market. I'm not a huge purchaser of apps -- I've probably spent somewhere between $50 and $100 on apps -- but I did buy Instapaper!

Okay, what bias did I run into here? Not everyone who is excited about Android is going to immediately shell out a few hundred bucks when they already have an iPhone. For me, that's enough money that I think about how to spend it, and new gadgets usually lose out to other priorities. Does that make me a bad nerd or something?

I'd also like to see Android thrive (mainly to keep Apple from behaving badly) and you make a good point that Android is steadily moving into the mainstream. But it will be a challenge for Google to shake the impression that Android users are reluctant to buy apps.

btw, another post from marco that shows his skepticism towards Android: http://www.marco.org/2011/04/02/time-bombs

Amen. My $0.99 app (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2407744) for Android which has been out for more than a month and costs $0.99 has seen only 6 downloads (4 of which are my friends!) I'm really curious as to how it will "sell" if I change it to free, and if there was an iOS version.

What app? How well known is it? What is your competition on both platforms? Have you marketed the Android version as much as the iOS version?

It's called GoSwedish - a friendly introduction to learning Swedish. http://xinsight.ca/goswedish/

Findability within the Market might also be a factor. A search for "swedish" in the App Store, and it's on the first screen. But it's quite a long scroll down on the Android Market.

This is the testament to the reach of the App Store. Your app is targeting an incredibly small, niche market, and you're still selling hundreds of copies.

Sounds like it was the primary reason you had low sales. Without similar placement in the Android Market, you really can't claim that one market was more successful than the other purely on its own merits.

I wish I knew where customers came from, but the app Store and Android Market are both black boxes.

I'm sure some people find apps from within the store (e.g. searching for "swedish") - but I expect most to come from youtube (where there are lots of GoSwedish videos) and then search for the app by name.

Update: Or maybe I just need to do more to get the word out. I sold 10 Android copies yesterday! (Thanks HN!)

GoSwedish and BikeDoctor? Pretty fringe apps. I wonder if the real problem is the findability of fringe apps for Android.

Also perhaps Android users are not indoctrinated to the Apple "walled garden concept", and expect to find these on an Internet website rather than in an application. I certainly find the concept of a guide to bike repair or learning Swedish in the form of an application very odd. An application store isn't the first place I would consider looking for this type of thing.

Second Amen - my app http://bikedoctorapp.com launched on iPhone and Android using exact same tactics (5000 person email newsletter + dominating the relevant keyword on Google + contacting app blogs) download rate on Android has been maybe 1/30th of iPhone. Typical feedback: "This is the first app I've paid for on Android".

Wow, sounds like a good story that deserves its own blog post.

Thanks for the encouragement.

I was going to release a free version on Android before writing up my experiences. I thought the liberal return policy on Android would eliminate the need for "lite" apps - but the return window is only 15 minutes which seems a bit tight. Better to have an app where you can fully evaluate it and then buy when you're ready.

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