56% of developers support Apple's iOS, 90% are single-platform
The iOS mobile operating system for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad remains the dominant platform for developers, most of which write exclusively for Apple's devices.
Advertising agency Millennial Media's Mobile Mix survey for May 2010 found that 56 percent of U.S. developers write software for Apple's iOS. That's nearly double the next-largest platform, Google's Android. 5 percent write for Nokia's Symbian, while 4 percent create software for Research in Motion's BlackBerry devices.
And while Apple has the lion's share of developers, the study also suggests that those developers are exclusive to Apple. Among all U.S. developers in May, 90 percent were single platform, while just 10 percent wrote mobile applications for multiple platforms.
Millennial Media says that its advertisements reach 82 percent of the mobile Web, according to Nelson, with 59.6 million users. The company is the largest independent mobile advertising network, following Google's acquisition of AdMob.
Other details revealed in the latest Mobile Mix report:
Requests for the Apple iPad on Millennial Media's network grew 160 percent month-over-month.
Apple remains the top mobile device maker, with a 25.4 percent share among all manufacturers. However, that was a decrease of nearly 10 percent form the April figures. iOS still has 46 percent share among smartphones alone on the company's network.
Google's Android has grown 338 percent since January. Ad requests for Android increased 15 percent month-over-month in May.
Research in Motion is the second-largest mobile operating system on the company's network. RIM had five devices in the top 20 mobile phones, lead by the BlackBerry Curve which represented 7.92 percent of traffic in May.
Despite what have been reported as lackluster sales, Google's Nexus One was the third most popular smartphone on Millennial Media's network. In May it accounted for 3.94 percent of all mobile phones.
In April, Millennial Media revealed that 70 percent of its smartphone traffic for ad impressions was consumed by the iPhone in the month of March.
Advertising agency Millennial Media's Mobile Mix survey for May 2010 found that 56 percent of U.S. developers write software for Apple's iOS. That's nearly double the next-largest platform, Google's Android. 5 percent write for Nokia's Symbian, while 4 percent create software for Research in Motion's BlackBerry devices.
And while Apple has the lion's share of developers, the study also suggests that those developers are exclusive to Apple. Among all U.S. developers in May, 90 percent were single platform, while just 10 percent wrote mobile applications for multiple platforms.
Millennial Media says that its advertisements reach 82 percent of the mobile Web, according to Nelson, with 59.6 million users. The company is the largest independent mobile advertising network, following Google's acquisition of AdMob.
Other details revealed in the latest Mobile Mix report:
Requests for the Apple iPad on Millennial Media's network grew 160 percent month-over-month.
Apple remains the top mobile device maker, with a 25.4 percent share among all manufacturers. However, that was a decrease of nearly 10 percent form the April figures. iOS still has 46 percent share among smartphones alone on the company's network.
Google's Android has grown 338 percent since January. Ad requests for Android increased 15 percent month-over-month in May.
Research in Motion is the second-largest mobile operating system on the company's network. RIM had five devices in the top 20 mobile phones, lead by the BlackBerry Curve which represented 7.92 percent of traffic in May.
Despite what have been reported as lackluster sales, Google's Nexus One was the third most popular smartphone on Millennial Media's network. In May it accounted for 3.94 percent of all mobile phones.
In April, Millennial Media revealed that 70 percent of its smartphone traffic for ad impressions was consumed by the iPhone in the month of March.
Comments
Analyst: iPhone 4 Launch a ?2 Million-3 Million iPhone Event?
http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/2...-iphone-event/
I would spend my time developing applications where the customers I target have $$$$
I would spend my time developing applications where I don't need to worry or invest in distribution or how to get paid.
Even IF Android takes off, their customer-base/marketplace have a different mentality.
It's more of a "home grown, do it yourself" mentality, and where can I get it for free. Also, the Google marketplace seems obscure and riddled with issues (today, anyway)
Don't get me wrong, Free will always be king, BUT well written, well designed, useful applications, should command $ca-ching$, and today, that $ca-ching$ is with the iPhone/iPad/iPod-Touch customer base.
AND
with the mature Apple App Store.
The FTC's case for anticompetitive behavior is becoming stronger every day, sadly.
...today, that $ca-ching$ is with the iPhone/iPad/iPod-Touch...
I agree that the place to be is with the iOS today (and the future) but you should also realize that it can take many attempts for a developer to even make enough to pay for it as a hobby much less a full time vocation.
I think that the iPad has helped since there tend to be more apps that support pricing that makes sense. As a developer it is hard to do much in the way of improvements, support, new releases with the current price structure. I hope the 'everything for a dollar' era will soon come to a close and we will see more software priced at a point that will support a couple guys that don;t have millions to put into development and marketing. I would like to see more apps in the $3 to $5 range and let the simple $1 stuff fade to a small percentage.
Just my 2 cents (even cheaper than the app store).
The bad news is that this is more fuel for the fire for the FTC. More reasons why Apple's lock-in of developers will be hurting the mobile app market.
The FTC's case for anticompetitive behavior is becoming stronger every day, sadly.
This is just absolute nonsense. You clearly have no understanding at all of what is "anticompetitive" behaviour in this case.
"Lock-in" of developers, implies that they are not allowed to develop for other platforms when this is simply not true.
There are not only no laws against what Apple is doing, they are doing the exact same thing that many other players have done in the past. The whole idea that this is somehow "anticompetitive" is just faulty. You've been reading too much press or watching to much Fox news or something.
Also, the FTC investigates when a competitor complains. The fact that they are investigating means nothing except that one of Apple's competitors complained to the FTC.
This is Google's nightmare, targeted iOS apps that get people the information that they want without generating a penny of ad revenue for them. They are not a search company, they are an ad company.
It'll be hard to track these statistics until we can get a measure of where the advertising dollars are going. If Apple makes iAd revenues visible in the balance sheet, we may get a handle on this.
The bad news is that this is more fuel for the fire for the FTC. More reasons why Apple's lock-in of developers will be hurting the mobile app market.
The FTC's case for anticompetitive behavior is becoming stronger every day, sadly.
If Google was able to use Apple's future ad service (iAd) as proof of competition and Microsoft many years ago sited the Mac as competition for Windows (when Apple was gasping for life) then there should be no concern.
The bad news is that this is more fuel for the fire for the FTC. More reasons why Apple's lock-in of developers will be hurting the mobile app market.
The FTC's case for anticompetitive behavior is becoming stronger every day, sadly.
It's always say exactly the opposite what I'm thinking. Funny that.
1) Almost no one pays for apps on Android. Almost every app is ad-supported, unlike the iOS, where a much larger percentage are ad-free paid for apps.
2) This does not account for international, where iOS devices compete directly with Android (i.e., aren't locked to a carrier with about 1/3rd marketshare). iOS is killing Android internationally. I don't think anyone even really cares/knows what Android is outside the us.
The FTC's case for anticompetitive behavior is becoming stronger every day, sadly.
This is not close to being true. The problem is people keep comparing the App Store to some mythical business model they would like to see. In reality the App Store is best compared to Video Game console online markets, which are completely curated, and the only way to get onto the console (i.e., outside selling discs, which is even more curated, and costs a TON more money).
If Apple is accused of anti-competitive behavior, expect Nintendo's stock price to plummet, since they have a much bigger marketshare with the Wii, and their policies are far more draconian and closed. They also don't have an HTML5 open alternative.
All this investigation behavior is nothing more than Google's rapidly increasing lobbying dollars speaking. All bluster and no action.
So 56% of developers (article title), or 56% of U.S. developers (article content)? That's quite a difference, don't you think?
It's even stupider than that.
56% of U.S. SMARTPHONE developers support Apple's iOS.
Of THAT number, 90% are single-platform.
But another way of looking at those numbers is just that freelance developers prefer to develop for a marketplace where it's easy for them to sell their apps?
In other words, it's not the phone, it's the store. Apple has created an easy way for developers to get their apps to lots of people.
The bad news is that this is more fuel for the fire for the FTC. More reasons why Apple's lock-in of developers will be hurting the mobile app market.
The FTC's case for anticompetitive behavior is becoming stronger every day, sadly.
That's a completely ignorant statement to make. Developers are not "locked in " to the iPhone. They can develop for any platform they choose. They CHOOSE to develop for the iPhone, a majority of them exclusively it seems, because they make good money doing it.
What your statement shows, however, is that very few people understand the concept of anti-competitive behavior. Anti-competitive behavior would be along the lines of Apple requiring developers to sign an agreement not to develop for any other platform in order for them to get their apps in the store. They don't and a developer can produce apps for iPhone, Android, Palm, whoever. Most CHOOSE to develop for the iPhone. This is not anti-competitive or a lock-in by any logic what-so-ever.
Man the FUD some people spew!
I'm confused. I thought developers were leaving Apple's locked down, closed, walled garden prison for the "anything goes" greener pastures of Android. What gives?
That is an Apple hating troll wet dream. And Apple hating trolls don't live in the real world anyway.
The bad news is that this is more fuel for the fire for the FTC. More reasons why Apple's lock-in of developers will be hurting the mobile app market.
The FTC's case for anticompetitive behavior is becoming stronger every day, sadly.
Anti-competitive behavior? What, specifically?
We are not seeing Apple use their market position to prevent developers from working on or porting to other platforms. They're merely saying, "If you want to develop for this device, here are the tools and the rules." If you want to develop for any console device, you encounter the same situation.
The bad news is that this is more fuel for the fire for the FTC. More reasons why Apple's lock-in of developers will be hurting the mobile app market.
The FTC's case for anticompetitive behavior is becoming stronger every day, sadly.
WTF are you going on about again?
Your insane jealousy and frustration is showing.
Developers are CHOOSING Apple.