Onward and UpwardKeith Ward, Editor in Chief, Visual Studio Magazine
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Survey: Windows Phone 7 Interest Surging Among Developers
It's clear that brand loyalty still rules among developers. Appcelerator and IDC published the results of a
survey that shows a sharp upswing in interest for Windows Phone 7 app development, and ties that surge to the Microsoft/Nokia partnership.
The press release spells it out:
"Windows Phone 7 separated from the pack to become the clear number 3 mobile OS this quarter. The OS climbed 8 points to 38% of respondents saying they are “very interested” in the platform -- the highest ever for Microsoft."
"Highest ever for Microsoft" -- think the folks in Redmond are excited to see that? Those figures push Microsoft into the No. 3 mobile OS category in terms of developer interest, behind iPhone and Android. The loser here? BlackBerry, to no one's surprise, which continues to edge toward the cliff like the German tank in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade". If you're a RIM developer, it might be time to start examining your options.
In the meantime, the Nokia deal appears to be everything Microsoft had hoped for, and more. The survey reports that the spike in Windows Phone 7 interest is directly due to the Nokia marriage, with 48 percent calling it the primary motivating factor. Those are startling numbers. When the deal was announced, it appeared to be a risk for both companies at the time; and, in fact, it was. Nokia essentially gave up on Symbian at that moment, while Microsoft teamed up with a phone maker that was going nowhere fast, with no compelling offerings in the smartphone market.
It now looks, at least initially, that a move some saw as desparate may bear abundant fruit. For Microsoft-focused developers, the takeaway is that building apps for Windows Phone 7 is now a safer bet. You know how it works: more apps for a smartphone generally leads to a more popular phone, which leads to more apps, which leads to...
Posted by Keith Ward on 11/14/2011