Autodesk is set to release their drawing app, Sketchbook Mobile, on Android. After racking up 2.2 million downloads on iPods, iPhones, and iPads since last September, they have decided Android is ready for their app. Auotdesk will offer a free version and a Pro version for $2.99. The app will only run on Android 2.x, so if you’re still waiting on your update to Android 2.1(Eclair) you are out of luck. Auotdesk said the decision to support Android was driven not only by customer demand, but also by a distinct absence of top-notch sketching apps in the Android Market.
The company has been waiting to see if Android would bring in a large enough user base before they released their first app. Android also has less competition for Autodesk with very few good drawing apps in the Android Market. Very similar to the iOS, the Android version of Sketchbook took six months to complete, with a slight different functionality due to the Android keys we all know and love.
Lots of big name developers have been making the jump to Android recently. This is in no doubt due to the skyrocketing sales that Android has been having. The question is will these app developers feel the same jump in sales? Android users have been notorious for favoring free apps and not buying very many apps.
This may be a problem for companies like Auotdesk. These larger app developers rely almost completely on app sales to make money. Many smaller developers have made good money with ads and in-app purchases, but this isn’t how larger companies work. With a quarter of the app downloads on iTunes being the paid version, they are hoping for close to the same result on the Android Market.
It will be interesting to see the outcome of Sketchbook Mobile on the Android Market. While Android is attracting some larger app developers with its growing number of users and popularity of the OS, I wonder if that will be enough. If they don’t see the revenue they are hoping for, will they continue to release apps for Android? Will you be willing pay for it? We will have to see if Android users are ready to see more paid apps with a quality that justifies it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwYm5YhA0pQ
Sketchbook Express (free). Scan QR code or download from Market.
Sketchbook Mobile ($0.99). Scan QR code or download from Market.
source: gigaom