App file size differences in Android and iOS

Question

Working with both app distributions services (android market and Apple App store) I have discovered a mystery.

The file size of an app is in general larger for an Apple a

Answer 1

The binary executable in an iOS app is encrypted, and thus compresses very poorly or not at all. The binary executable in an iOS app is compiled with some library code statically linked, which can often make it larger than interpreted Dalvik byte code for similar stuff. iPhone apps tend to contain more high quality graphics content and artwork for multiple screen resolutions including the relatively large iPad display.