subject: Aarkstore Enterprise-mobile Application Developer Survey: Smartphone Os And Runtime Support [print this page] Mobile application developer survey: smartphone OS and runtime support
The iPhones iOS is the clear favorite smartphone platform for mobile application developers, according to Ovums first mobile application developer survey. But while all five major smartphone platforms score well overall, it is BlackBerry OS and Windows Mobile that currently lead the opposition, rather than Android or Symbian. Overall, Java ME remains the leading mobile development environment, showing theres still life if not necessarily big profits - in an old and somewhat neglected technology. Meanwhile, full mobile web browsers are becoming a prime target for mobile developers, offering great promise of future application and content portability across devices and platforms.
This report is a companion to the previously published Mobile application developer survey: network and channel requirements, which focuses on non-device-related aspects of the survey.
Table of Contents :
Executive summary
In a nutshell
Ovum view
Key messages
Mobile developer platform choice
Five OSs attract most developer attention
iOS is the highest-priority mobile developer platform
Developers do accept some fragmentation
iPhone trend building traction for key rivals
BlackBerry and Android riding the iPhone success wave
Consumer appeal driving BlackBerry OS forward
Android has not yet fully shown its hand
Other platforms compete for remainder
Windows Phone developers keep the Microsoft faith
Symbian has lost its edge, if not yet its developers
Other OSs struggling for developer attention
Runtime and web platform preference
Older approaches still resonate for now
Mobile web browser enters developer mainstream
Other cross-platform technologies also show potential
Developer support will again be limited to a subset
Factors influencing choice of development technology
Installed base and availability of devices provide greatest developer incentive
