While iOS is a smooth experience, I honestly cannot tell what is the substantial difference from Android. Both have the same enter credit card information once, one click purchasing from now on experience.
Beyond the pretty small group of people who don't like giving Google more info/don't trust Google as mentioned elsewhere in the thread, what is so much better about iTunes than Google Checkout?
Apple's selecting people who are willing to pay extra for a better phone experience. You can get Androids (and I'm an android fan here) in 2-for-1 specials and other discounted means.
In some ways, the fact that android has a solid browser makes the iPhone about apps (and the iPod/iTunes platform). People are paying money to buy a phone to use its applications --- you're gonna find a higher percentage of them willing to pay for it.
A large part of it comes from paid apps not being available in all countries. That lead to a lot of ad-supported apps (since the developers couldn't make the app paid), which have become the norm on Android.
It's not the tech that makes it better it's the people, as an app developer it's easier to make money on the Apple ecosystem than Google. If I can't make a profit I'm not going to produce for that platform.
Apple's marketing message appeals to a set of consumers who want to buy stuff digitally. Apple has done a bunch of work for me, whereas it's hard to monetize the marketing message of 'open platform'
Again, I think this argument applies to a Hacker News crowd, not the general population. I have seen plenty of Android marketing and I can't remember a single mass market ad that touted openness beyond saying that it runs Flash.
Of course, Google employees have said things to that effect, but that is directed to a separate smaller audience. You won't find that on the sides of buses or on TV. I'd be surprised if more than 10% of Android users know it is open source or even made by Google. I'm trying to find the root of why iOS is more profitable for paid apps. In this particular case, I think it is overcharging for a fairly weak app, but I know this is a larger trend which I can't ascribe to an open platform bias.
Sure. But 1. do we see any actual Android marketing on TV or media? We see marketing from the individuals handset makers, but very rarely, or at least I haven't from Google, for the OS, which makes sense in some light.
Contrast that with a lot of the advertising that Apple does, it's not about the phone, it's about the software, experience, and the apps. In print ads, tv ads, etc there is an explicit focus on the content you can buy to create a better experience.
I think the issue is developer demographics. When people write an app for Apple, they are in the state of mind that it's going to make Apple love them forever. God, erm... Steve Jobs... says so, and he is really cool. There is lots of eye candy to be had, and everything is a singular unified platform. You use your Apple computer, running Apple software to make stuff for an Apple phone that syncs with Apple iTunes. There is some zen in that that is appealing to the kind of developer that spends thousands of hours on irrelevant details that makes designers with blogs really like your app.
On the other hand, there is Android, where the developers are barely-competent Java programmers that just want to make a few bucks off their weekend project.
The reason for the difference is Steve Jobs. People love him, and he motivates them to write better apps. Android is the same-old-Eclipse that you use for programming projects that actually make money, and that's boring.
Beyond the pretty small group of people who don't like giving Google more info/don't trust Google as mentioned elsewhere in the thread, what is so much better about iTunes than Google Checkout?