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Does It Make Sense To Build A Mobile App For The iPhone?

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I recently flew into Miamiand a car service picked me up.  After putting my bags in the car, the driver pulled out his iPhone, launched a custom application, and logged in my arrival details which I’m assuming was sent back to his office.  When we

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arrived at my destination, he used his same iPhone application to finalize my trip and record my electronic signature.  Before leaving, I noticed him checking his iPhone app for his next pickup.  This seemed like a good, custom iPhone application.

Are you thinking of building a mobile application for your company?  Do you need a better way for your service trucks to update their location?  Or for your guys working on projects out of the office to record their time and update your job costing system?  Maybe you’d like your customers to have a quick way to access their last invoice or safety specs about a product they bought from you.  Or to check available inventory, request a quote or place an order from their mobile device.  There are lots of reasons to have a mobile application.

And there are lots of places to find a good developer too.  You can place a bid on Elance or search on oDesk or Guru to find that competent person.  Or you can post a job on craigslist (if you’re looking for that competent person who’s also a homicidal maniac).  You can find developers overseas or at your local community college.  You can hire local specialists who may cost a little more but bring better knowledge, reliability and the English language to your project.  And you can pay them in U.S. dollars too.

But what platform do you choose?  Do you develop a mobile app for Apple’s iPhone/iPad?  Google’s Android?  Microsoft’s Windows 8?

Apple is by far the most difficult environment to create a mobile app.  That’s because the company has so many controls over those who develop applications for its products.   For example, if your application will be downloaded by more than 500 end users (employees or customers) it must go through a stringent approval process and be only offered through the official iTunes store.  Any updates to the application have to endure the same process.  And the iOS operating system comes with its own restrictions:  Apple doesn’t want developers accessing low level hardware code like a device’s CPU ID or MAC address.  This can create challenges for some applications.  And when developing an application for the iPhone remember that the phone always comes first:  an incoming call will interrupt any process.

But most developers I know don’t complain.  Because this is why Apple has been so successful.  Their quality control over their hardware and outside development keeps their products operating at a high level.  There are plenty of tools available and a strong community to support any developer who’s creating that mobile app for your company.  Just remember that if you want to develop something for the Apple platform you’re expected to play that game.

Google’s Android operating system is the exact opposite.  If you plan on building a custom application for the less expensive Nexus or Galaxy (or even the Kindle Fire) smartphones and tablets you’ll have lots more flexibility.  It’s basically open source.  Google doesn’t care whether you make your product available for download on its site or any other site, including your own.  The problem is that because it’s open source, it’s also less secure.  IT managers are wary of Android applications and devices because of this.  But then again, they’re also wary of Apple applications and devices too.  That’s because neither makes use of the Microsoft security tools that they oftentimes have deployed on their internal Microsoft-built platforms.  Google and Apple developers will argue, however, that if a smart programmer wants to hack into a device (or network) it’s not going to matter anyway.

And speaking of Microsoft, what of Windows 8?  Considering that most corporations are still in a Microsoft world and their users will ultimately be forced to use Windows 8 on their desktops, smartphones and tablets like the newly released Surface RT (by the way...Windows 8 is a pretty good end user experience) doesn’t it makes sense to develop your application for that platform instead?  Maybe.   Microsoft is a late comer to the field but they always come late to the game...and then given some time eventually become one of the biggest players.  There are plenty of great Microsoft developers out there too, ready to help.

So what’s the platform for your mobile app?  Apple?  Google?  Microsoft?  I talked about this with many of my developer friends and the consensus was this:  it doesn’t matter.

Ozz Nixon (or as some refer to him "The Wizard Oz") summed it up well: “The user experience is the most important thing.  I can build a mobile application for the iPhone and then compile it for a ‘droid or Windows 8 device too with not a lot of additional effort.  There are some differences.  But not too many. It’s all about the user.”  Nixon develops mobile applications for Micro Endeavors, a Microsoft Partner located near me in Upper Darby, PA.

The user!  Oh right.  Forgot about him (or her).  That’s the person who really matters.  And if your sales team is already hooked on Apple then there’s your answer.  Or if you want to pay less for devices then maybe you equip your service trucks with Galaxy tablets.  Or if everyone is happily using Microsoft Office then why not create something that looks very similar. Just remember a few things before you start developing that great mobile application.

For starters, your developer is probably very smart.  But he or she is not a mind-reader.  Make sure your business process is clear and that you both have a full understanding and agreement as to how the application will be used.  Make sure you spend a significant amount of time creating detailed specifications, testing and quality control.

Don’t underestimate the cost or cut corners.  A developer can take anywhere from two to four weeks (or more) to develop a decent mobile application.  I don’t care how “simple” you think your application is.  Time is needed to properly understand the goals, ask questions, create an outline, write code, test and then do it again.  Which means you could be spending anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 for your little application.  Maybe more.  Make sure you’ve got your ROI figured out beforehand.

Finally, remember that it’s just a phone (or tablet).  It’s not a computer.  Your mobile application will not be able to do all the things that a desktop based application can do.  The processing power, memory and storage are not the same.  And, most importantly, the screen is smaller.  Prepare your users in advance and set realistic expectations.

So go ahead and build that mobile app.  And don’t worry about the operating system.  Worry about your users instead.  They are much, much more important.

Besides Forbes, Gene Marks writes weekly for The New York Times and Inc.com.