Cross-platform apps may be ideal, but time-crunched developers will probably be better off starting with Android, according to Evans Data. The Santa Cruz, Calif.-based market research firm's most recent Mobile Development Survey gathered details from more than 450 developers.
Among the firm's findings:
- 41 percent of Android developers said they finish apps in one month or less.
- Only 36 percent of iOS and 34 percent of Windows Phone devs said they could achieve as quickly a turnaround.
- 84 percent of developers targeting tablets choose Android as their lead mobile platform.
- 62 percent of tablet devs also choose iOS, while 52 percent included Windows Phone in the mix.
Which of the following tablet platforms do you target?
Source: Evans Data
"The benefit of having your app run across the gamut of device types is obvious, and while there are difficulties in synchronization across device types, and in the range of graphics capabilities that are supported by different screens, the benefits still outweigh the effort," the report said.
Evans Data said Android was overtaking iOS as a lead development platform almost three years ago, but some challenges hold true for nearly every mobile OS.
For instance, the report said testing and debugging takes up most of the time spent creating apps, with the exception of emerging platforms like Tizen, which tends to involve more coding work. And though it lead the pack in terms of development time overall, Android developers told Evans Data they also take longer than those targeting other platforms on front-end issues, including optimizing user interfaces and overall performance.
This may suggest there is significant room in the market for other Android developer tools to make this kind of work a little easier.
For more:
- To download the complete Evans Data Mobile Development Survey, click here.
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