Ovum has published the results of its 2010 survey of 217 mobile application developers. The results are in and this is what Ovum had to say:
"The success of Apple's iPhone, RIM's BlackBerry, and devices using Google's Android, Microsoft's Windows Phone and the Symbian platform is increasingly determined by the extent of their developer support. Ovum's 2010 survey of 217 mobile application developers exposes a wide range of trends that are having profound effects on device OEMs, carriers, software platform vendors, and content providers."
"Five OSs dominate developer efforts to write applications for smartphones: the Apple iPhone's iOS, RIM's BlackBerry OS, Google's Android, Microsoft's Windows Mobile, and Symbian. Only the best-supported platforms will ultimately attract the best developers, including major content providers, media companies, and brands. Not all will flourish.
Apple's iOS is the most supported smartphone platform among developers, with 81% of our sample stating their support for the platform somewhere in their portfolio. Moreover, iOS was overwhelmingly the first-choice platform among developers, with 46% of the sample giving it precedence.
Our sample showed an overwhelming preference to focus on a smaller number of platforms, with three being optimal. At present this looks most likely to negatively impact Symbian OS and minor platforms such as LiMo, Palm's WebOS, and Samsung's bada."
[Full research report]