I thought this was an interesting point from John Casasanta, a developer who who creates both Mac and iPhone applications:
For one, developing for the iPhone is a dream compared to developing for the Mac. Yeah, it’s Cocoa development for both iPhone and Mac, but many of the Mac SDKs are old and crufty compared to the shiny, new iPhone one. This means much quicker development time and greater programmer satisfaction. Many, many programmers I know never want to go back to Mac for this reason and usually cringe when they have to.
Oh, and there’s the attention:
Another major factor is the “rock star” one… When you create Mac apps, you have little chance of having your apps in TV ads, Apple retail store promotions, WWDC promotions, on TV networks like CNN and CNBC, etc, etc, etc.
January 18, 2010 at 8:53 pm
What does that say for the future of iPhone software development? If Apple let the developer experience degenerate to “old and crusty” on the Mac, will they keep the SDKs modern and fun on the iPhone? (Disclaimer: I own and I have experience with neither)
January 18, 2010 at 9:52 pm
I think an old and crusty future is inevitable for the iPhone, just as it is for just about any API.
January 20, 2010 at 12:47 am
As a professional indie mac dev, I’ve got to say I think some of his figures are way off for popular mac apps. I’ve got a couple of reasonably successful apps and I make a bit more than just 4k a month, and I know plenty of other mac devs who are making more as well.
February 2, 2010 at 3:18 am
Iphone development beats Mac because it was created with a unique features and inevitable in the market.