Fragmentation costs Android developer attention, study shows

Android fragmentation could turn up to be more dangerous than frustrating, according to a recent study. Developer interest in the platform has decreased recently and fragmentation is quoted as the main reason for this.

A research conducted by IDC in collaboration with Appcelerator shows that developers are less willing to create new apps for Android due to the extremely diverse device base and the different versions of the mobile OS they are running.

The study, which is conducted every three months for the past two years, shows that some developers are losing interest in the Android platform. Now, 78% of developers are very interested in coding for the Google smartphones, while those willing to create apps for Android tablet are just 67%.

Apple iOS is still the favorite platform among the developers, who took part in the survey. The main reason for that, Appcelerator's Mike King reckons, is the low number of Apple devices and the fact that most of them run the latest version of iOS. Monetization also plays a big role in the choice of a mobile platform to code for, according to King.

Windows Phone interest has been growing steadily over the last few quarters and as Windows 8 gets closer to its release candidate Microsoft's platform seems to be starting to generate more and more interest in developers. The long-awaited arrival of the Nokia WP smartphones has probably played an important part, too.

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