Google+ And iCloud Win Developer Hearts As Facebook Future Fades
The lure of Google+ is enough to keep developers from worrying about Android patent issues, according to the latest survey, with the fast-growing social network name-checked along with Apple iCloud as the top driving factors amid mobile growth and adoption. Google+ and iCloud's engagement and cloud-connectivity are of prime interest to developers, Appcelerator discovered, especially with their potential to squeeze out Facebook as dominant in mobile mindshare, but they spared some time to discuss the limiting factors potentially holding back Android tablet success.
66-percent of developers reckon Google+ can "beat" Facebook in the long-term, more than believe Apple's combination of strong Twitter integration in iOS 5.0 and the existing Ping social network will succeed. The potential for Google to bake mapping, YouTube, search and other services into Google+ is the main reason for their confidence, though the fledgling network is also seen as "showing more innovation" than Facebook. Having Google+ and Android under one roof is another perceived benefit.
Interestingly, while both major platforms compete on the number of apps on offer in their respective software download stores, Appcelerator argues that in fact the purchase battleground is shifting from the app store to the in-app transaction. Use of in-app purchasing has increased, while developers are increasingly saying that selling incremental updates and extras within an app is of more interest than selling apps in the download store itself.
Finally, as for Android tablets, whereas in the company's last surveys the limiting factor most developers saw was pricing – matching or beating Apple's iPad 2 line-up – now it's user experience and app flexibility that is the primary concern. 52-percent of developers suggested that Honeycomb user experience needed to improve if Android slates were to become sales successes, while 46-percent said that phone-to-tablet app portability was key. Price, however, fell to fourth place, with 39-percent of developers believing it to be a key issue, while greater app choice overall was fifth with 33-percent.
