It looks as though Apple is gaining in the developer department thanks to the iPhone launch at Verizon Wireless and the iPad 2.
According to analytics released by Flurry yesterday, Android lost developer support to iOS the past few months. Flurry, which tracks developer support across the various platforms, says Android new project starts dropped from 36 percent in the first quarter to 28 percent in the second quarter.
The drop in Android developer support – the second quarter-over-quarter slide – follows a year of significant, steady growth for the Google-built OS. Android developer support peaked at 39 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010, Flurry says.
Flurry identifies two probable causes for Apple’s ascent: the iPad 2 and the February arrival of the iPhone at Verizon. Before that, Verizon, Google and a host of OEMs worked hard to push Android devices as an alternative to AT&T’s exclusive iPhone.
Meanwhile, Apple has established an installed base of more than 20 million tablet devices in less than one year, prompting developers to devote their time to the iPad rather than Android.
Ongoing work to improve the Android Market layout and pushing forward the adoption of Google Checkout are critical to the success of Android, and Google needs to work aggressively to ensure Apple doesn’t continue to take the wind out of Android’s sail, Flurry notes.
Earlier this week, Google announced a redesigned Android Market client designed to bring new features to phones and developers, including a streamlined click-to-purchase system that allows users to complete a purchase in two clicks from the app details page.
The new Market client is being phased out to phones running Android 2.2 or higher and should be available to all users worldwide in the coming weeks.
