Delphi XE7 is a new multi-device app development solution that works on iOS, Mac, Android, Windows, and now on wearables and gadgets. It has new features that include –

• Windows & VCL Features
• New Parallel Programming Library
• New FireMonkey Enhancements
• New Enterprise Mobility Services
• Enhancements for Connecting to Wearables & Gadgets via Bluetooth Support

For new users the Delphi XE7 will cost $5047. Let me put this more into perspective – most any other development tool for mobile applications can be had for FREE. They are also just as advanced (in some instances more) than the Delphi XE7. That’s the reason why businesses and companies, both large and small, prefer to have their apps developed with these FREE tools. It saves them a huge upfront expense. In addition to that, there are a few more factors that help to drag Delphi XE7 down and out of the competition with other available tools on the market.

Some claims that have been made by Embarcadero Technologies (publishers of Delphi XE7) go like this –

1. “Delphi Android along with iOS apps give you faster native CPU performance.”
2. “Full visual designer to go with iOS user interfaces. Features multiple device types, orientation, and resolutions.”
3. “Develop Mobile Apps visually while delivering natively compiled apps with high performance to give the best user experience.”

One major Embarcadero marketing point is how Delphi creates applications, which are ‘native’ to the mobile platform you use. I personally hear complaints from people who tried out Delphi for mobile and they are disappointed. Their complaint is about the appearance and the speed of their so-called ‘native’ applications. What’s the deal? Is Delphi really creating ‘native’ applications to go with Android and iOS? Well, to know the answer to that we have 3 ways of understanding it.

Is it Native to the Hardware?

The term ‘native to the hardware’ is defined as being “your code has been compiled down to the actual machine hardware instructions.” In this area Embarcadero really did an excellent job, and this is really the thing their marketing department sells.

What About Native to the OS?

Native to the OS means having a direct access to both the controls of the OS and the API of the OS. In the case of Delphi, the answer is ‘YES’. They have sacrificed native access to controls and API so they can give you RAD (Rapid Application Development). Their goal has been to keep the layers that exist between the OS and Delphi as thin as the possibly can, while at the same time keeping RAD, and now they’re adding cross-platform development.

What About Native Look & Feel?

The Delphi mobile apps at times feel a bit sluggish, look slightly wrong, and act in ways that seem ‘sub-standard’. Those are the consequences of taking the path that Embarcadero chose when implementing cross-platform controls such as TMemo, TListBox, etc.

Therefore, in spite of their claims of having pixel-perfect compatibility, they don’t have a Native look and feel.

Their lack of support regarding high quality native apps, along with their incredibly high pricing is the hugest deterrent for companies who may otherwise like to use the Delphi XE7 for developing their mobile applications, or for that matter even hiring Delphi developers.

Even if they advertise sri lanka vacancies to draw in Delphi developers, the would not able to fill them all, because there are plenty of free developing tools and resources available out there. People are not willing to jeopardize their entire careers on Delphi, which is simply an astoundingly expensive commercial development tool.

This lack of a FREE edition of Delphi also brings on a lack of new developers. The power developers won’t go near them because of their lack of focus on new ‘power applications’. The ‘RAD’ developers are mainly coding their front-ends using the free tools that are available. Delphi has drifted out into ‘no man’s land’ and is appealing to a very small group of new developers.