When it comes to creating a smartphone, there is only so much a manufacturer can do. Sure they can create great hardware and software, but unless there’s a viable eco system to go with it, the platform is destined for failure. Just as Meego. This survey by Baird Equity Research was conducted from 200 developers from a pool of 4300. The results are increasingly positive for Apple, and ever so damning for RIM.
On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 being excellent 1 being poor, the developer interest in iOS is at 9.3 and 8.7 for Android. This number has risen for Apple from Q1 2012. This could party be because of speculation over iPhone 5 and the recently announced Retina Display iPad, which has been very successful.
Android is at number 2, with interest at 8.7%, which has dropped from the previous quarter. This could probably get better as more phones get Jelly Bean update.
Interest for BlackBerry 10 is at a dismal 3.8% which has taken a steep drop from the previous quarter. This is because of the constant delays that this platform is facing. Even the current BlackBerry OS is at 2.8%.
A few other quick observations from Baird’s survey(From AllThingsDigital):
- 71 percent of developers surveyed said the announcement of Windows Phone 8 three weeks ago increased their interest in the platform, while 64 percent said they were enthusiastic about Microsoft’s new Surface tablet.
- 78 percent of iOS developers expect Apple to eventually launch an HDTV.
- 62 percent of developers surveyed said that most of their tablet-specific downloads come from Samsung; 23 percent said Amazon’s Kindle Fire was their top device for downloads.
The numbers should be taken with a pinch of salt. While as a whole they do represent what’s already clear in front of our eyes, lets not forget it’s only 200 developers that were part of the survey. There are developers all over the world, in quantities over millions.
