This document discusses the mobile developer ecosystem and economics. It highlights that Android and iOS dominate developer mindshare but there is still interest in alternatives like Windows Phone and BlackBerry. HTML5 is becoming viable for some apps but needs better platform API access and debugging support. Tablets are reaching mindshare parity with smartphones while TV remains niche. Most developers use multiple platforms but money is concentrated in iOS and Android. Advertising is the most popular revenue model but lowest earning while in-app purchases are rising. There are over 500 tools for developers to choose from to support app development.

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2. Developers are the new currency of platforms
key challenge is sorting through the noise
100s of dev tools makers telecom overlays
Developer mindshare leaders
chipset makers telco API
competing platforms handset makers
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3. www.DeveloperEconomics.com
Free research reports on app economy and developer ecosystem
help developers Contents
Key takeaways
Chapter 1 - Mobile Duopolies:
build a successful
The widening gap between the haves and the have nots
Chapter 2 - The Developer Tools Landscape:
The cogs and gears of the app economy
Chapter 3 - Rise of the Mega SDKs:
The developer tools landgrab
Also by VisionMobile®
app business
Mobile Innovation Economics Workshop
A strategy workshop introducing the new economic
thinking necessary for successful innovation by telcos.
Find out more visionmobile.com/strategy
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© VisionMobile 2013 | www.DeveloperEconomics.com
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4. VisionMobile Developer Economics 2013
free download: www.DeveloperEconomics.com
3,400+
respondents
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5. Top 5+1 insights
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6. 1
Developers swarm around iOS/Android
but keep looking for viable alternatives
Android continues to lead mobile developer mindshare, with 72% of
developers now developing for the platform, a 4 percentage point increase
compared to our 2012 survey. iOS shows a 5 percentage point drop in
Mindshare, i.e. the proportion of how many developers use each platform.
The considerable share of mobile developers intending to adopt Windows
Phone (47%) and BlackBerry (15%) indicate that there is still developer
interest in a viable third app ecosystem
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8. 2
HTML5 needs better access to
platform APIs,
and better development environment
HTML5 is becoming a viable alternative to native for developers working
on app categories such as Business & Productivity (used by 42% of
HTML developers), Enterprise (32%) and Media Apps (28%).
To compete with native, HTML5 needs better platform API access (35%
of HTML developers), development environment (34%), and
debugging support (22%).
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10. 3
Tablets reaching developer mindshare
parity with smartphones,
TVs are niche
The majority (86%) of 3,460 developers in our survey target smartphones,
while a large share of them also develop on tablets, led by iOS
developers (76%) indicating the attractiveness of the iPad as a
development and monetisation platform. TV development
remains niche (6% of Android developers), as the hype cycle
around the “Smart TV” experience is yet at a very early stage
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12. 4
74% of developers use 2+ platforms, but
money is concentrated in iOS/Android
At the same time, developer platform choices are now narrowing. On
average mobile developers use 2.6 mobile platforms in our latest survey,
compared to 2.7 in 2012 and 3.2 in our 2011 survey. 80% of respondents
in our sample develop for Android, iOS or both, making them the
baseline in any platform mix. Developers that do not develop for one of
these two platforms generate, on average, half the revenue of those
developers that do, indicating concentration of power within these two
major ecosystems.
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14. 5 Advertising is the
most popular revenue model, but brings
the least amount of revenue
Advertising is used by 38% of developers in our global sample. At the
same time, it’s the monetisation model with the least revenue per app.
In-app purchases and Freemium are on the rise, having grown by 50%
compared to our 2012 survey and are now used by more than a quarter of
the developer population in our survey. In-app purchase is now the
second most popular revenue model on iOS, with 37% of developers
using it, falling slightly behind Pay per download.
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16. 5 +1
Over 500 tools for today’s app
developers, designers and entrepreneurs
Hundreds of startups, from Appcelerator to Zong, emerged to cater to
developer needs. App developers today have over 500 third party
tools (APIs, SDKs, components) to choose from, catering to every stage
along the developer journey. Developer tools, from ad networks to user
analytics SDKs are a core part of the Android and iOS platform economics,
and a major platform differentiator.
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17. build.DeveloperEconomics.com/tool-atlas
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18. Knowledge. Passion. Innovation.
Let’s talk!
michael@visionmobile.com
Michael Vakulenko | Strategy Director | +44 2033 844166
Updated: 12 November 2010
Page 18 Copyright VisionMobile 2011