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March 31, 2014

Apple and Android - The Testing Irony

By TMCnet Special Guest
Eran Kinsbruner, Director, Perfecto Mobile

Every organization testing mobile apps asks the same question: “What devices should I be testing on? Android or Apple, or what combination of the two?” According to a recent market report by Perfecto Mobile, the leading mobile application quality platform provider, the answer is different for every industry. And as devices continue to diversify, enterprises need to take a closer look at the ideal mix, based on their industry and user-base.

Thus, the Apple vs. Android war continues. It’s not just consumers that have to pick a side; enterprises have to decide which devices to test their mobile apps on as well. The right device selection mix is important, but shouldn’t just mirror what the market trends.

Apple vs. Android – False Perceptions

Android leads the market with more than 80 percent of the market share globally, an overwhelming majority. Ironically, companies still seem to test more on Apple, spending about 50 percent of their testing time. For this reason, companies should more carefully consider what devices their customers are using in order to make a better device selection matrix – and a more efficient testing approach.

To decide, enterprises can look at the mobile app/website user demographics, usage patterns, preferences and projections. Too often, companies aren’t flexible with their strategies. For example, iOS emerged earlier than Android, so many enterprises developed an iOS-centric testing strategy as a first initiative. But with Android exploding and taking over the market, companies should consider revamping these original strategies. This kind of flexibility is key.

The Vertical Divide

Essentially, different product requirements drive different device selection decisions, varying vertical to vertical. For example, Android accounts for more than 80 percent of testing in the advertisement segment, but it reaches less than 20 percent within retail companies. And according to Perfecto Mobile’s Device Statistics report, insurance and finance are split right down the middle. Enterprises should implement a device selection that reflects these ratios.

Another interesting comparison is between tablets and smartphones. While airlines conduct 85 percent of their testing on smartphones, media companies test over 40 percent on tablets. This makes sense from an end user model; mobile airline apps are used for quick boarding passes, flight status updates and check-ins, all usually done from a consumer’s smartphone. Entertainment apps, however, require browsing and reading, typically done on larger screens. For this reason, it makes sense for entertainment and media to prioritize tablets in their testing strategy.

Legacy Remains

According to the data collected, iPhone 5S/C and Google Nexus 5 are the fastest growing mobile devices in use. However, despite nearing three years old, the Samsung Galaxy S2 is still used by a large percentage of consumers. This device isn’t even available in most stores anymore, but it’s important to include in the device testing mix because of its popularity. The moral? Don’t only focus on the new, trendy operating systems – there are still many older devices out there that need testing attention.

Preparing for the future requires testing on trending devices. However, solely relying on trends doesn’t necessarily represent the device mix that best fits your business. You should combine this with your own mobile app analytics and industry benchmarks, like the one offered in this report.

About Eran Kinsbruner:

Eran Kinsbruner is director of product marketing at Perfecto Mobile, the leading cloud-based mobile application testing and automation company. Formerly CTO for mobile testing and Texas Instruments and project manager at Matrix, Eran has been in testing since 1999 with experience that includes managing teams at Qulicke & Soffa, Sun Microsystems, General Electric, and NeuStar. The co-inventor of a test exclusion automated mechanism for mobile J2ME testing at Sun Microsystems, Eran has extensive experience in the mobile testing world. You can find Eran on Twitter @ek121268, LinkedIn, and his professional mobile testing blog at ek121268.wordpress.com. Eran also writes regularly for the Perfecto Mobile blog




Edited by Cassandra Tucker


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