As Apple’s dominance continues to sore, most recently with iOS device sales overtaking Win PC sales, what does this mean for us developers? How much do the current popular platforms define the products we build? How much should they define what we build? In the case of iOS and music production there are some serious hurdles, namely screen real-estate and until recently lack of a good standard for inter-app communication. In the case of musical instruments, lack of tactile feedback creates serious design challenges. And in the case of all iOS products (software at least) there are significant economic challenges, namely, how do you fund and profit a serious development with a $5 product (if you’re lucky to charge any money at all)? Is anybody other than Apple making money on iOS apps? Will El Capitan’s AU3 and Audio Extensions change things? Will Windows 10 audio updates change things? Can touch devices really change the way music is produced without Android attending the party?
