Google Play's in-app subscriptions may help Android developers monetize the platform

Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android operating system has achieved a lot of success in the mobile developer community. Android is available on more than 300 million devices around the world and 850,000 Android devices are activated every day. However, Android does present substantial business challenges to developers because of its fragmentation and its limited money-making potential. The two issues generate near-constant debate over the desirability and practicalities of developing in Android vs. Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS, which is far more lucrative for developers. However, that dynamic may be starting to change now that Google extended the capabilities of its in-app purchasing model in Google Play to allow in-app subscriptions. Special report