inessential by Brent Simmons

Most expensive platform to develop for?

Of the three platforms — Mac, iPad, and iPhone — which is most expensive to develop for?

I think the obvious response is to rank them just that way: Mac most expensive, with iPad and iPhone about the same (with iPad being just a little more since it’s bigger).

But I wonder — could it be that, speaking very generally, the most expensive is iPad, not Mac?

The iPad’s size means the apps may be close to desktop apps in terms of features. At the same time, there’s no doubt that user experience and graphic design are most critical on iPad.

Obviously there are all kinds of exceptions. But I think a compelling case could be made.