Ovum: Android will replace iOS as the most important platform to developers

iOS and Android are the two big mobile operating systems - and most developers support both. However, while there is currently a slight advantage for iOS, this will reverse within the next 12 months, according to the analyst company Ovum.

Android and iOS are fighting for the crown as smartphone OS king, but apparently developers right now are unwilling to accept to be reigned by just one: According to a recent report by Ovum, almost all developers support both platforms.

But while iOS is still a bit more popular amongst developers, Ovum expects this to change over the year. "Android looks set to replace Apple's iOS in terms of importance to developers within the next 12 months", the report reads.

Just the one or the other?

So what does this mean? Will Android eventually leave iOS far behind, or will there just be job rotation between leader and runner-up, like we know it between Republicans and Democrats in the US or between Conservatives and Social-Democrats in Europe?

Or will the other players prevent this duocracy? Ovum also indicates growing interest from developers in BlackBerry OS and Microsoft Windows Phone.

"The growing momentum behind Windows Phone indicates that Microsoft has managed to convince developers that its platform is worthy of investment; its challenge now is to persuade consumers," comments Adam Leach, devices & platforms practice leader at Ovum and author of the research.

Furthermore, Ovum sees a trend from Java, Flash and WAP towards HTML5 and other web-based standards - and a tendency to stay with vendor-specific distribution channels (e.g. Android Market) rather than independent stores, as this is the easiest possibility to reach a large audience.

Developers are important

Ovum also points out the great importance of winning developers' hearts for success in the mobile business:

"A smartphone platform's success is dictated not only by the pull of consumers and the push of handset vendors and mobile operators but also by a healthy economy of applications delivered by third-party developers. Therefore, it is important for all players in the smartphone ecosystem to understand the choices developers are making today and the downstream impact of those choices," concludes Leach.

See also:
WP Marketplace: 60,000 items by 15,000 publishers
iOS and Android - The Battle of the Giants
Study: Android "most interesting", but WP7 also "considered for purchase"