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Every smartphone platform now has its own App Store, led by Apple’s iPhone. And while some software firms are busily cranking out apps for all of them — Apple, Google Android, BlackBerry, Palm WebOS, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Nokia Symbian, etc. — many are choosing to stick with only Apple.

Why? The reasons are different for for every software company. Some prefer the technology that Apple offers, which competitors don’t offer. Others prefer the iPhone’s built-in payment platform. Others note that BlackBerry and Palm can’t support high-end graphics for games.

Here’s a nice essay by Marco Arment — the one-man shop behind Instapaper, the excellent iPhone app and Web service — about why he’s only building apps for the iPhone so far. In short: Because Apple’s audience was big enough at the get-go to support his development costs. That is not (yet) the case for platforms like Android or Palm.

Courtesy of: Dan Frommer and Business Insider