Android has overtaken iOS as the best selling smartphone platform in the USA. However, Android has failed to win over the developer community, which cited fragmentation and slow growth of the platform as a major reason for opting for iOS.
This finding has come from a survey conducted by Appcelerator, which talked to 2,760 developers who said that the slow growth of Android tablets and fragmentation in the smartphone device market neutralises what Android gains by sales volumes.
A whopping 91 per cent of developers surveyed said they were extremely interested in writing apps for iPhones. 86 per cent wanted to write apps for iPads and 85 per cent for Android-based phones. Only 71 per cent of developers said they were interested in writing apps for Android tablets.
The numbers are huge for any company, especially in a market where consumers used to be extremely polarised. Also, as more developers are interested in iOS, users can easily expect more and better apps for their iOS devices.
Apple had enjoyed similar market dominance among MP3 players with its iPod.
However, there is no reason for Android users to worry as the difference in preference is not huge, which means that most developers will continue to develop applications for both platforms. It is however a wake up call for Google to address the problem of fragmentation before it starts taking its toll on the Android eco system.
In the tablet space as well there are several Android based tablets lined up for release, which will at least partially be able to address the lack of growth. However, iPad is expected to continue its dominance in the space for at least some time to come.
Apple’s ability to attract premium customers to its fold will moreover mean that it will continue to be favoured by the developer community.
The bottom line: since developers are more interested in developing for iOS, iPhone and iPad, buyers can continue to hope for great apps for their iOS devices.