One of the first questions for a person interested in a mobile app development project is whether to go for a native or cross platform app development approach? And if cross platform approach is decided as the way to go, the next big question is which cross platform app development approach is the best- Xamarin or others?
Facing the scrutiny of countless corporate dramas ranging from license issues to funding issues, Xamarin turned over all odds and by 2014 emerged as the most funded cross-device app development platform. Xamarin on its own has successfully changed the way how people look at the cross platform app development approach for an app. It provides a fresh optimistic view and seems very promising. Let’s find out why!
Cross Device coverage: Native approach, Write Once and Work All approach
The term cross-platform mobile app development is often misleading and till now there are no concretely defined parameters as to what app can be called cross-platform exclusively. Traditionally, an app is ‘cross platform’ if it works on all mobile device platforms such as Android, iOS, Windows, etc. However recently the term cross-platform is applied more towards those approaches that facilitate sharing of a single code base on multiple devices. So for someone looking to achieve the objective of launching an app which works on various platforms, or cross-platform, there are three approaches to achieve this:
A Native App for every platform
As the name suggests a native mobile app is a smartphone application that is coded in a specific programming language designed for a particular platform such as Objective C for iOS and Java for Android operating systems. This means you will need to design and develop apps for all the desired platforms individually. While the advantage here is that it gives a better user experience, it turns out to be expensive. To simplify this, developers produced write-once-work-all magic box solutions.
Why Xamarin?
Xamarin has taken this attempt a step further and with Xamarin Forms launched they have truly achieved write-once-work-all solution. Xamarin basically provides an abstraction over different native apis and allow developers to create a cross platform app with almost 100 percent code reuse. Also, unlike Titanium and PhoneGap, Xamarin uses C# as its main coding language and a .NET framework based Xamarin Studio as its main coding environment. It also comes with a plugin for Visual Studio, so a .Net developer can easily code for a Xamarin app and code management is absolutely hassle free.
Another advantage with Xamarin is that you can design your app in such a way that your UI is consistent across platforms. You can have your own UI standard and that being rendered on all the platforms. This though might not have exactly similar native look and feel, but would be consistent across platforms. Therefore, it makes sense for Enterprises to build on such a platform from the branding and ease of use perspecti
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Enterprises
Native
Cross-
platform
App Development
Approach
Why Should Enterprises Use Xamarin?
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Why Should Enterprises Use Xamarin
And if cross platform approach is decided as the way to go, the next big question is
which cross platform app development approach is the best-
Xamarin or others?
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Why Should Enterprises Use Xamarin
The fact that more than 28% of fortune
500 companies prefer Xamarin for app
development proves that Xamarin is
quickly finding its way in the market.
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Why Should Enterprises Use Xamarin
Traditionally, an app is ‘cross
platform’ if it works on all
mobile device platforms such
as Android, iOS, Windows, etc.
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Why Should Enterprises Use Xamarin
However recently the term cross-platform is applied more towards
those approaches that facilitate sharing of a single code base on
multiple devices.
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Why Should Enterprises Use Xamarin
Wanna launch an app which works on various platforms?
cross-platform, there are three approaches to achieve this
Develop app
for each
app(native)
Web app
wrapped as
native app
Cross platform/
Hybrid/ HTML5
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A Native App for every platform
Native mobile app is a smartphone application that is coded in a specific
programming language designed for a particular platform such as Objective C
for iOS and Java for Android operating systems.
C# SWIFT JAVA
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A Native App for every platform
This means design and develop apps for all the desired
platforms individually. While the advantage here is that it
gives a better user experience, it turns out to be expensive.
$W$iOS $A
Total= $W + $iOS + $A
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Native vs Cross Platform
$W$iOS $A
Total1 = $W + $iOS + $A
$Hybrid
Total2 = $Hybrid
Total1 is not necessarily 3 times costlier than Total2 but probably just about it! ;)
Native Cross Platform
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Web Application wrapped as
Native Applications
A write-once-work-all solution
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Web Application wrapped as Native Applications
This approach uses a web browser and web-
view concept to create an app that runs on all
devices.
This approach requires the developer to write
the code in one language and then a pre-built
cross-platform tool will create app for all
other platforms.
Frameworks like PhoneGap and Sencha follow
this approach.
The write-once-work-all solution
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However it ends up stripping away
all the look-and-feel inherent with a
native app of that platform.
While this is great for some types of
applications, in most cases it just
irritates the users who are used to
their own phone’s native UI.
Web Application wrapped as Native Applications
The write-once-work-all solution
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Cross Platform Native Applications
• Create native apps using different UI for different platforms
• Tools -> Xamarin and Titanium.
• Divides the Mobile development into two main areas – Core
and platform specific.
The write-once-work-all solution
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Core of the mobile development
is common across all platforms
and thus the core API’s can be
normalized across platforms. The
platform specific API’s, Features
and UI conventions need to be
developed when developing for a
particular platform.
Cross Platform Native Applications
The write-once-work-all solution
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This type of cross platform approach that delivers native apps is
more of an attempt towards write-once-work-all.
Cross Platform Native Applications
The write-once-work-all solution
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Why Xamarin?
Xamarin has taken Cross
Platform Native Applications
approach a step further and
with Xamarin Forms
launched they have truly
achieved write-once-work-all
solution.
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Why Xamarin?
With Xamarin you can design your app
in such a way that your UI is consistent
across platforms.
Therefore, it makes sense for Enterprises to
build on such a platform from the branding
and ease of use perspective.
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• Coding for Windows Phone and Windows 8 comes naturally.
• Using Portable class library and an appropriate application
architecture, you are able to share the same code for all
platform apps.
Why Xamarin?
Feature Highlights: Code Reusability
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Xamarin comes with integrated
SDKs for various mobility
platforms which means you can
benefit from the powerful native
controls for each platform yet on
a single code base!
Why Xamarin?
Feature Highlights: Code Reusability
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Through Xamarin studio you can test
all the apps in the same
environment.
In addition, Xamarin Test Cloud lets
you test your app for multiple
devices, and generate test reports -
all on a cloud based platform.
Why Xamarin?
Feature Highlights: Code Reusability
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What’s piece of cake?
• Code revisions,
• Version control,
• Code sharing,
• Code reusing, and
• Maintaining code
Code reusability through code library also means that your development time for
subsequent app projects reduce significantly,
Why Xamarin?
Feature Highlights: Code Reusability
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Why Xamarin?
Super Benefits
700,000+
Xamarin Developers across the globe
2.5 billion devices use Xamarin
Integrate Xamarin with
Salesforce & SAP!!!
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Why Xamarin?
Super Benefits
The platform is also backed actively by
Microsoft itself, and has huge
collaborations with companies like IBM
and Samsung in the field of enterprise
mobility.
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You ‘ll need to use Coding Experts
Algoworks has been working with Xamarin since 2012.
We are proud to declare we have some of the most experienced
Xamarin cross-platform mobile app developers in the industry
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Author
Co-Founder & Director
Leading the mobility business development
function, mobility strategy and consulting
practice at Algoworks. Expert of all mobile
technologies with experience in managing
teams involved in the development of custom
iPhone/iPad/Android apps.
Rachit Agarwal
Write to me at rachit@algoworks.com
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