Windows Mobile 6.0 comes up highest in native mobile operating systems, according to a recent Evans Data survey reported at InfoWorld. A worldwide survey of 384 developers was conducted worldwide in May and June. Since the results add up to > 100%, respondents were able to select more than one answer.
Windows Mobile 6.0 comes up highest in native mobile operating systems, according to a recent Evans Data survey reported at InfoWorld. A worldwide survey of 384 developers was conducted worldwide in May and June. Since the results add up to > 100%, respondents were able to select more than one answer.
“Results of a survey … by Evans have 43 percent of developers targeting Microsoft’s .Net Compact Framework and 42 percent opting for Java ME (Micro Edition)… Also ranking in the survey were Windows Mobile 6.0, with 31 percent; and the following contenders: Linux, 25 percent; Nokia Series 80, 22 percent; Symbian, 20 percent; Windows Mobile 5.0; 19 percent; Java, 18 percent; Palm OS, 15 percent; RIM OS, 14 percent; Mac OS 10, 8 percent; and Android, 7 percent.”
The survey topic is “wireless development”, which can include web applications, web portals, as well as native mobile apps. In addition, “wireless” not only includes development for mobile devices such as smartphones and wifi-enabled PDAs, but also larger devices such as laptops. The data appears to be somewhat convoluted because it also lists frameworks and programming languages, as well as native operating systems. For example, .Net is a framework that can be used to develop mobile, desktop/laptop, and web applications. Many developers use .Net to develop for Windows Mobile, which is also noted as an option in the survey (twice). Java ME (Micro Edition) is a virtual runtime environment and requires a virtual machine to run on devices. Java ME is used heavily for feature phones. Linux is a platform that can be used for both mobile and desktop/laptop. Mac OS X platform numbers include development for both destkop and iPhone. Java is a programming language that can be used when developing web applications (Google WebToolkit, for example) or native applications (RIM OS uses a Java strain). So, one developer could feasibly be using a framework, a language, and a native mobile OS, while another could be developing web applications that can be used for mobile handhelds and also laptops. The results of the survey do not clearly express all the possibilities/combinations.
Nonetheless, the survey does show an interesting ranking of the native mobile OS’s (native iPhone OS is not broken out from the Mac OSX responses, so is not noted below):
31% Windows Mobile 6.0
22% Nokia Series 80
20% Symbian
19% Windows Mobile 5.0
15% Palm OS
14% RIM
7% Android
For a more detailed breakdown of current Mobile Development Platforms and related frameworks/languages, please reference the spreadsheet I compiled a few months ago.
Windows Mobile 6.0 is an upgrade to 5.0 and Nokia Series 80 is a strain of Symbian, so combining that data you get another nice snapshot:
50% Windows Mobile
42% Symbian
15% Palm OS
14% RIM
7% Android
It’s obvious that developers are supporting multiple operating systems (responses total more than 100%). The data indicates that half of the developers include Windows Mobile in their portfolio. One surprise is how many are also targeting Symbian. InfoWorld and Evans Data also surmised that once the iPhone 2.0 OS is released and Android finds a handset, the numbers for those native operating systems will take a bigger piece of the pie.
