One of the most familiar knocks against Android tablets: They simply don’t have enough apps to be viable.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly mocked Android tablet apps onstage. And while there are more that are tablet-optimized than there were six months ago, it’s still tough to say how many more — Google won’t say. (The company instead highlights the total number of Android apps available, including those for smartphones — it was 675,000, at last count.)
But Google is putting more effort into promoting Android as a platform for tablet apps. Today, the company posted a “tablet app quality checklist” highlighting best practices for building for the Nexus 7, the Samsung Galaxy Tab, and their peers. It’s all aimed at developers, particularly those who may have previously only developed for Android phones. (“Take advantage of extra screen area available on tablets,” one of the more obvious suggestions goes.)
A checklist isn’t going to build a platform, of course. But alongside the post today Google also shared what amounts to a sales pitch: “developer stories” that help Google make its case that software makers should build tablet apps.
In its post, Google makes three points:
- Bigger screens lead to more engaged users. More engaged users make money for developers, either by purchasing goods inside the app or by having their eyeballs sold to advertisers.
- It’s easier to retain users on tablet apps. Game