Mobile Developers Strongly Favor iOS
Apple has taken the lead over Google’s Android in the mobile OS wars, as far as Appcelerator Titanium developers are concerned. In the third quarter of last year, the two operating systems were virtually tied when developers were asked which OS was “best positioned to win in the enterprise long term.” This year, it’s 53.2 percent for iOS and 37.3 percent for Android.
The report, Q2 2012 Mobile Developer Report, notes that the figures are relatively equal whether you’re talking to those developing apps for business or those working on consumer products.
The report by Appcelerator and IDC is based on a survey of 3,632 Appcelerator Titanium developers about their plans and priorities; it was conducted in the middle of May. The report attributes Apple’s lead to
...the growing strength of Apple in the enterprise, especially considering several factors: the popularity of the iPad; frequent reports of Android malware; enterprise challenges in dealing with Android fragmentation; and the resultant anecdotal reports of enterprises re-evaluating widespread Android deployment outside of particular business vertical implementations like M2M.
Google shouldn’t be discouraged, however. The “noticeable erosion” of developer interest in Android has slowed. That’s probably due to the “huge growth in Android device shipments.”
There’s a bit good news for another vendor -- Microsoft. The report says a third (33.3 percent) of developers are very interested in Windows 8 tablets, though the report authors categorize this as “cautious optimism.” There’s less enthusiasm for its cloud offering: developers show interest in Apple’s iCloud and Amazon’s cloud platform but only “tepid interest” in Microsoft’s Azure.
Windows Phone 7 doesn’t fare any better; interest dropped from “very interested” according to 37 percent in the first quarter of this year to 25 percent in the latest report (for the second quarter of 2012).
The report predicts that “As Microsoft Windows 8-based tablets begin to be introduced to the market in the second half of 2012 and the first half of 2013, there is the potential to dramatically change the current trajectories of mobile OSes in the enterprise.”
Unless, of course, the tablet flops. For Microsoft, hope springs eternal.
The report, which also explores app porting from ARM- to x86-based devices, top cloud service features, and app stores, can be downloaded at no cost here (a short registration is required).
-- James E. Powell
Editorial Director, ESJ
Posted on 07/25/2012