One reason why developers prefer iOS over Android is because there is a limited number of device combinations. There is iPads, iPad Minis and IPhones, and a few generations of each.
The number of screen sizes and RAM combinations isn’t that big.
For android you will always come up against a device with a combination that you never really heard of before, which means that your app must be ready to adapt dynamically to the device. Much harder to do and ensure your app looks rights in all circumstances.
The pilot community is late with this trend and iOS still holds a rather large share
On EuroGA, iOS outnumbers Android 5 to 1. But on other, larger, communities we operate, iOS is still used substantially more than Android, usually at least double and across a wide range of demographics. The one thing they have in common is that they’re all in relatively wealthy countries like Europe and North America.
Interesting. The mobile clients that I observe on our systems at work are 50-50 iOS and Android. Windows Phone accounts for only a couple of %. There is little demand for Windows Phone from our clients, but a few do have a large park of WP issued to their employees. A couple of years ago I did observe differences in use of devices in European countries. I have not looked into these details recently, but overall iOS is loosing momentum among our user population, and it does not look like the share of WP is increasing.
What is also interesting are the big disparities in share of OSs in different populations – given the numbers that David just reported.
I used to look at the sales numbers reported by Gartner Group for the different OS and manufacturers, and according to them the number of Android devices sold have long since surpassed the number of iOS devices. In 2014 it looks like 1 phone out of 3 sold was a plain old cell phone (not smartphone). Android had an 81% share, followed by Apple with a 15% share and WP 3%.
It is difficult to estimate the installed base of these three OS just based on the one or two years sales, but in terms of market shares of the OSs they were pretty much the same in 2013. The most significant difference was that in 2013 more or less 1 out of 2 phones sold was a regular cell phone. Supposing that a phone is replaced every three years, I think one can pretty much conclude that pretty soon 80% of all smartphones out there will be Android.
I wonder if there is a significant difference between market shares in phones and tablets.
My observations suggest that Android is more popular than iOS in phones, but perhaps the other way around in tablets. It’s not based on anything more than casual observations though.
The one thing they have in common is that they’re all in relatively wealthy countries like Europe and North America.
Looks more like some countries are just slow to adapt. This week and 5 years ago.
It seems clear there are different sub-populations which have a strong preference for one type or the other, and different websites attract these according to some criteria which may or may not be obvious.
It seems clear, for example, that currently IOS leads by a big margin in GA, which is not surprising since it had a huge head start in aviation apps. Also I wonder whether “convergence” (using the same device for as much as possible) matters less in GA; if a device lives in the cockpit, or gets carried only on flying trips, then you would get the expected stats.
There’s other statistics too: In Q4 2015 Apple has – for the first time – surpassed Samsung as the leading smartphone vendor. Apple sold 74 mn units vs. 73 mn.
The 5:1 in euroGA is typical for aviation, i think. In aviation apps Android is still far behind. And i don’t think it’s important you can’t buy iOS at other places than the appstore. Actually i think that’s one of the advantages, that everything is there, in the same place.
Samsung is not doing too well, apparently, but while Apple is the only maker of IOS devices, Samsung is only one of approx 100,000 makers of Android devices and that’s not counting the 1,000,000 chicken farmers in China 
It seems clear there are different sub-populations which have a strong preference for one type or the other, and different websites attract these according to some criteria which may or may not be obvious.
There is also huge differences between countries in Europe. Suggesting marketing and sales strategies are important factors. Except from showing other people you have an iPhone, there is nothing you can do with it, that cannot be done better on an equally priced Android phone. I know lots of people who switched from iPhone to Android, but no one who has switched from Android to iPhone. I think most people don’t care. I remember my wife kept complaining on the “Android” on her Nokia N8
Just compare the pilots apps for iOS and Android and you will quickly find out what can be done better ;-)
Why would anybody show other people they have an iPhone if Android is so much better. We better hide the iPhones then, out of embarrassment!
