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A Must-Read for Mobile Developers: The Mobile Developer Economics 2010 Report

What’s the number one reason why developers choose a mobile platform? According to Mobile Developer Economics 2010 Report, which is produced by VisionMobile (and which I’ll call MDE 2010 from now on), it’s market penetration:

developers reasons

Do mobile developers stick to one platform, or do they develop for multiple platforms? MDE 2010 says that the latter is true:

Most developers work on multiple platforms, on average 2.8 platforms per developer, based on our sample of 400 respondents. Moreover, one in five iPhone and Android respondents release apps in both the Apple App Store and Android Market.

Which mobile platform was most used by developers in 2010? It might not be what you think, going by MDE 2010’s numbers:

most used platform

Are app stores the way of the future? Quite likely, and that’s because according to MDE 2010:

  • It provides the fastest time from final GM version to market, and
  • It’s the fastest way to get paid.

time to market

MDE 2010 is a treasure trove of useful information for developers and entrepreneurs looking to make it big by creating software that runs on those little computers that are rarely more than arm’s reach away. Luckily, it doesn’t cost a thing – the folks at VisionMobile have made the download available for free!

If that weren’t enough, VisionMobile is also posting a four-part series of articles on their blog in which they discuss MDE 2010. Part one is here, with the other parts to follow.

This article also appears in Canadian Developer Connection.