Nicholas Schlueter

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<p>For the past 2 years I have been hearing about how many more RIM devices there are than iPhone. Or "don't forget about Nokia smart phones". Well I am here right now to tell you what to do. Here is your guide to deciding which platforms to build your app for.</p>

What type of app do you have?

Do you have a business app? Maybe a travel app? Maybe a Game? Maybe a productivity app?

Guess what, it doesn't matter the answer is the same. Here is the order:

1. iPhone
2. Android
3. BlackBerry (if you must)
4. WebOS

Don't be afraid to swap 3 and 4 either, if you can whip out a WebOS app for a short term win, it might be worth it. Furthermore don't be afraid to skip all the platforms until you have your product just right. Wait until it becomes embarrassing that you don't have Android before you build it.

Right now I would gage interest at all platforms nearly equal 10:1 iPhone to any other platform ratio in the United States. So, once 10% of your active user base becomes a significant number for your business, then start building for Android.

Where are you building your app?

If your main target area is outside the united states this list may change, but I doubt it. Make sure you know your audience. But it is about more than just market share. Make sure that people actually get apps on that phone. What are the expectations, for instance, iPhone users expect to be able to do anything, so they will go to the app store assuming to find a solution to their "problem".

But my manager/CEO/Paycheck signer carries a BlackBerry

That is bad luck, although, I gather, not that unlikely. This is a tough spot. He is likely has a BlackBerry for 1 of 2 reasons. Keyboard addiction or misinformation, "BlackBerry is more secure", sure it is. If it is for one of these two reasons, you will have to hope to reason with him on the bottom line. I would try the following talking points.

Talking points for why you shouldn't build a BlackBerry app

1. BlackBerry is not a App platform. Users generally site email as the most important thing on their BlackBerry.
2. Device diversion is a very expensive problem. 5+ screen resolutions, 4 carriers, multiple input types "trackpad" vs touch.
3. Forward compatibility is weak. Plan on having minor to major tweaks on every new device that comes out, about 4 per year.
4. Many users devices are managed by their company without the ability to install apps.

Do we even need an app?

I hope this type of thinking doesn't catch on, because some day I might need a job. Given that the mobile web is getting pretty freaking awesome (css3, html5, offline access), you need to ask yourself why you want an app? Is it for the app store marketing? If so, I think you will have a pretty bad cold start problem. With 200K+ apps in the iPhone app store, it is getting increasingly difficult to get noticed. Consider web, still no approval process. That is not to say there aren't valid reasons for having an app, marketing just isn't one of them.

TL;DR

1. Build iPhone first no matter what
2. Don't build for BlackBerry unless you are forced.
3. Consider mobile web

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