Trism could be first of many to spurn Android

Building apps for multiple devices will keep some developers focused on iPhone

This week comes the first evidence of a potential problem for the Android platform that Scott Raney of Redpoint Ventures first told us about last week.

Steve Demeter, developer of the popular iPhone puzzle app Trism, says he's going to hold off on developing a version of the game for Android and stick with what's making him money.

The time needed to port a game to multiple devices is too much of a hassle for the potential pay-off, so he's going to stick with iPhone development for now.

"We are going to go full ahead and focus on the iPhone for the time being. We've got many projects on our plate that feature prominently into the unique experience that the iPhone delivers," Demeter said in an email interview. 

Demeter, who was first mentioned by Silicon Alley Insider, said he's made $250,000 from the app in its first two months and plans to quit his day job to focus on his company, Demiforce.

About 75,000 users have downloaded the app, Demeter says, and the Trism discussion forum has more than 21,000 registered members. He credits the game's social network for contributing to its success and says they'll be news in that area soon to come.

This is a reminder that while Google claims that the Android platform will be more open, it won't be optimized for any single device. That could reduce the appeal of the device for developers, which in turn could result in fewer nifty apps and lessen the appeal of the G1 and other Android phones to come.

At the very least, it could delay some popular mobile apps from finding their way to the platform. It's way to early to tell how big a problem this becomes, and we'll have to wait to see how much demand there is for the new Android handsets, but it's worth watching.