Going cross-platform promises better bargain

Even as mobile apps gain grounds progressively, the increasing scope for viable development alternatives is leading to emerging trends in cross-platform mobile apps. At the heart of it lies the growing demand to bridge the gap between iOS and Android apps. The coming around of cross-platform SDKs and tools like Phonegap, Titanium and Rhomobile has been a further shot in the arm.

Here’s why it can be worth the while investing in cross-platform apps:

1. Faster deployment, lesser costs: Sounds too good to be true, but cross-platform apps scale faster at lesser costs. Manifesting inverse proportion dynamics, cross-platform apps shorten the development cycle, thereby reducing costs. On top of being faster, the code from a cross-platform app forms can be deployed on iOS and Android in conjunction. There’s no need for investing in platform-centric resources.

2. Tailor-made for developers: Cross-platform development is gaining in popularity much for the ease it brings to development spheres. Most cross-platform tools come from popular scripting languages making it a natural transition building on top of HTML, CSS and Javascript—the three most widely used web properties.

3. Cloud and enterprise support: Going cross-platform is opening up to the Cloud and associated services. What’s more, this can be achieved in a single stroke on both Android and iOS. Then, tools like Appcelarator and PhoneGap work on mutually shared plug-ins with other service and tools thereby allowing interfacing with different devices on a single shared code.

4. Increased Outreach: Scaling up is one of the greatest assets coming with cross-platform apps. A single code iteration can penetrate the grassroots of Android and iOS-- a major visibility boost given that Google Play alone reaches out to over 150 different countries. Moreover, this mitigates risk by way of multiple platform audience; if an app doesn’t do that well on a certain platform, the other can be counted on for ROI procurement.

5. Lasting pull: With the way devices are getting ushered into the markets, the average time a user stays on a particular device is forever coming down. As the user explores newer tech, shifting away from the device and/or the platform becomes imminent. A cross-platform app ensures you don’t lose connect with users even if they switch platforms.

6. Greater Value: A single cross-platform app ties users on both sides of the platform divide. An iOS user for example can share content with its Android equivalent, and receive the shared content back after a few edits. A single code used here provides greater mileage for the user and the developer alike.