Life is tough when you’re trying to come from behind against Android and iPhone in the mobile market, which means you’ve gotta take your victories wherever you can get them.
Which is why Microsoft may feel good, for a moment, about a new Appcelerator/IDC study this morning showing that it has edged out RIM’s BlackBerry as the No. 3 mobile platform based on interest among app developers. But then comes the explanation. From the findings …
“Microsoft edges RIM to become the third horse, but there is not much cause for celebration in Redmond as respondents’ interest in Microsoft and RIM dropped substantially compared to last quarter. Microsoft fell seven points, with only 29% of developers saying they are ‘very interested’ in the Windows Phone 7, while BlackBerry phones dropped eleven points to 27%. On the upside, and in part as a result of Microsoft’s partnership announcement with Nokia, Windows Phone 7 interest fell four points less than BlackBerry to make Microsoft the new number three in developer interest behind Apple and Google.”
Of course, surveys can always be disputed, and Microsoft has been pointing recently to its own stats showing momentum for Windows Phone among app developers. And all of this will be moot in four years, when Microsoft’s Nokia deal will make Windows Phone the No. 2 player, behind only Android. At least, that’s the recent prediction from both IDC and Gartner.
The Appcelerator/IDC survey from April 11-13 gauged the opinions of more than 2,700 app developers. Toward the top of the market, the survey showed Google losing some momentum overall based on the lukewarm response to Android tablets.
On the flip side, a separate survey released by Nielsen this morning indicates that consumer interest in Android is growing in the U.S., now topping the iPhone in domestic market share.
