Other OSs struggle, Java ME still hits developer buttons
Symbian does, at least, continue to command a following among developers and keeps Nokia in the game. Less well-supported platforms such as LiMo and Palm’s WebOS are struggling for developer acceptance, as well as consumer acceptance. Lack of application support is a sure-fire way of putting off consumers. Only 30% of developers said they will support any other platform outside the top five.
What is clear, however, is that while smartphone development can now be considered mainstream, the real “bread and butter” of the developer’s trade still lies in the mid market and cross-platform development.
The top three mobile application platforms indicated in our survey were, in order: Java ME, mobile browsers, and full web browsers. Each of these environments is being targeted by more than 80% of our sample. Qualcomm’s BREW and Adobe’s Flash were not far behind.
Ovum’s mobile application developer survey provides a comprehensive overview of the requirements, habits, and intentions of mobile application developers today. The full results will be published shortly.