Why AR1.com only has Apple apps for now

UPDATE A reader writes, Dear AR1.com, I think this article out today sums up the Android marketplace and confirms what you previously published as to why AR1.com only has Apple apps for now. And did you see what IndyCar did? They bet the farm on Android apps and for Apple users their app is just a website and not a true app. Some companies get it and other just don't. Thanks AR1.com! Jim Davies

Dear Jim, Yes we saw what IndyCar did. They are missing out on the hundreds of millions of Apple iPhone and iPad users worldwide, but that was a business decision I am sure they made to limit their growth. Mark C.

AR1.com's popular iPad app

03/20/12 We have had some customers ask us why we only offer iPhone and iPad apps for AutoRacing1.com and not Android or Blackberry, so we thought we would provide everyone an explanation.

Apple has cemented its dominance as the most popular mobile platform among application developers while Google's Android has receded and Research In Motion's devices plunged anew, according to a quarterly survey that may signal sales trends for mobile devices.

The survey, which asked developers if they were interested in writing programs for various devices, showed Google's Android slipped even though sales of devices powered by the operating system surged (many Android installs are in car GPS systems, which skew the real numbers).

The platform is fragmenting as an array of hardware makers adapt it in different ways for their devices, unlike Apple's platform, which is used exclusively by the maker of the iPhone and iPad, said Mike King, a strategist at Appcelerator. The firm, which works with developers, conducted the survey in conjunction with IDC, a research firm.

"The fragmentation of the platform, which Google seems unable to curtail, is driving this drop in interest," King said.

Developer interest is a useful indicator of broader support for a platform as consumers are drawn to devices that can perform specific tasks such as checking news or stock prices, tracking jogging distances or finding restaurants.

Almost nine in every 10 developers surveyed said they were 'very interested' in developing for iPhone and iPad.

Interest in Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 was steady at 37 percent, while Research In Motion's BlackBerry fell sharply again, with less than 16 percent expressing an interest, down from more than 20 percent three months ago.

The survey questioned almost 2,200 developers, about 38 percent from Europe, 34 percent from North America and 28 percent from elsewhere.