????谷歌并不認(rèn)為在安卓上研發(fā)一款應(yīng)用要比在iOS上研發(fā)相同應(yīng)用更耗時(shí)。拉特里奇也表示，精通安卓系統(tǒng)的開發(fā)者如果轉(zhuǎn)移到iOS平臺(tái)上，他就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)還是安卓平臺(tái)編碼更快。但現(xiàn)在應(yīng)用開發(fā)界普遍朝蘋果看齊，這些公司必須決定是否應(yīng)該專門發(fā)展安卓產(chǎn)品。比如在Evernote就有好幾支獨(dú)立的開發(fā)團(tuán)隊(duì)專門針對(duì)iOS或安卓進(jìn)行開發(fā)。該公司的產(chǎn)品總監(jiān)菲爾?康斯坦蒂諾表示：“我們甚至希望兩個(gè)版本之間形成競(jìng)爭(zhēng)。”Yammer的工程師們則采取了另一條路子，公司向安卓和iOS平臺(tái)投入了同等的資源，當(dāng)其中一個(gè)平臺(tái)需要某個(gè)獨(dú)特的解決方案時(shí)，工程師們就會(huì)集中力量專攻這個(gè)項(xiàng)目。知名旅游網(wǎng)站TripAdvisor則有兩支團(tuán)隊(duì)，不過(guò)他們分別負(fù)責(zé)維護(hù)它的兩款主要應(yīng)用，而不是專注于某一個(gè)系統(tǒng)平臺(tái)。團(tuán)隊(duì)中的成員如果對(duì)一個(gè)平臺(tái)更有經(jīng)驗(yàn)的話，也可以為最終產(chǎn)品提供一些定制內(nèi)容。

????TripAdvisor的產(chǎn)品總監(jiān)亞當(dāng)?麥卓斯解釋道：“安卓用戶不喜歡他們的應(yīng)用看起來(lái)像iPhone應(yīng)用。他們買安卓設(shè)備是有原因的。”

????安卓用戶無(wú)需擔(dān)心他們的應(yīng)用全盤克隆iPhone應(yīng)用。不過(guò)據(jù)拉特里奇介紹，在如何向開發(fā)者提供幫助的問(wèn)題上，安卓將向蘋果“取經(jīng)”。盡管其他操作系統(tǒng)（包括蘋果）都會(huì)向開發(fā)者提供基本的工具，比如一些現(xiàn)成的代碼組，以幫助軟件工程師節(jié)省時(shí)間和成本，但谷歌歷來(lái)采取更加放任自流的態(tài)度。拉特里奇表示，這種情況即將發(fā)生改變。他的團(tuán)隊(duì)打算把諸如導(dǎo)航等常用功能的優(yōu)秀代碼公布于眾，這樣開發(fā)者可以直接拿來(lái)使用。這些開發(fā)工具可以減輕所有應(yīng)用開發(fā)者的負(fù)擔(dān)，但對(duì)于那些把主要資源集中在軟件功能開發(fā)上的小公司來(lái)說(shuō)幫助更大。

????“我們不想走到另一個(gè)極端上，讓所有的應(yīng)用看起來(lái)都一樣，”拉特里奇說(shuō)：“不過(guò)有些捷徑可以幫助開發(fā)者把產(chǎn)品推向市場(chǎng)。”這番話聽起來(lái)可能并不浪漫，但這就是谷歌這個(gè)科技巨頭向開發(fā)者“求愛(ài)”的方式。

????譯者：樸成奎

????Android disputes the notion that its development takes inherently longer than comparable projects over iOS, and Rutledge argues that Android-proficient developers can code faster than they would when switching to iOS. But with Apple as the standing benchmark, companies must decide whether to commit to such specialization. At Evernote, independent teams develop for each platform. "We almost like them to compete with each other," says, Phil Constantinou, the company's head of product. The engineers at Yammer try another tack: the company devotes equal resources to Android and iOS, and developers specialize more when a platform requires a unique solution. The popular travel website TripAdvisor has two teams, but split to cover each of its two major apps, not to focus on one system. Members of each team with more experience on a platform can then provide some customization to the final product.

????"Android users really dislike it when their app looks like an iPhone's," explains TripAdvisor product chief Adam Medros. "They bought an Android for a reason."

????Android users need not fret that they will soon have iPhone clones.. But according to Rutledge, Android's development offerings will be taking a baby step toward Apple's highly curated approach. While other mobile operating systems, including Apple's, offer developers basic tools, like blocks of code, that can save software engineers time and money, Google traditionally has taken a more laissez-faire approach. Rutledge says that is about to change. He says his team plans to share coding "best practices" that developers can copy for formulaic functions such as navigation. Such building tools would ease the developing burden for app makers of all sizes, but can especially help small companies focus resources on the functionality that might set their app apart in the marketplace.

????"We don't want to go to the far extreme of cookie cutters, where all apps look the same," Rutledge says. "But shortcuts can help developers get to market." It might not sound all that romantic, but that's how a tech giant woos.