Android developer enthusiasm has “plateaued” according to the latest research by Appcelerator and IDC, with sluggish Honeycomb-based tablet sales and ongoing concerns regarding platform fragmentation cited as the key reasons. According to the two companies’ April 2011 Mobile Developer Report, “developer momentum is shifting back toward Apple.”

Tablet interest is particularly precarious, with Honeycomb apparently yet to convince developers to create slate-specific titles. While 86-percent of iOS coders expressed interest in developing for the iPad, only 71-percent of Android developers said the same about Honeycomb-based tablets; similarly, only 44-percent were “very interested” in the Motorola XOOM and just 31-percent in the HTC Flyer.

Nonetheless, despite the concerns, developers don’t seem to be looking elsewhere. 62-percent say that they don’t see how rival platforms could ever catch up to Android and iOS, while the numbers of those expressing interest in developing for Windows Phone or BlackBerry have in fact dropped. The January 2011 report had suggested that Google developer interest was growing, and that the platform would soon catch up to Apple’s iOS.

[via ReadWriteWeb]

2 COMMENTS

  1. there was a small dip in all of the., not just Android. Im no annalist or market insider but I know for sure that things related to computers usually fall off during the summer months. not because people are less interested but because warmer weather brings us out of our caves and into the outdoors.

    Come fall, you’ll see a sharp rise.

    • I noticed that too, but I don’t think developers decide to go outside instead of creating apps. And obviously fragmentation can’t explain Apple losing interest from developers. I think the only explanation is if another unlisted platform is gaining interest, or mobile development in general is losing interest to other areas of development (desktop, smart TVs, etc).

      Anyway at Google and Apples level these type of measurements are ridiculous. At their level, measurements should be qualitative instead of quantitative. So what if they lose interest from developers who want to make a quick buck releasing crap.

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