Appcelerator and IDC released their first quarter 2011 developer survey, which indicates that the launch of new tablets at the CES 2011 show earlier this month means that “developers are pushing these devices to the top of their priority list.”

The number stating that they are “very interested” in Android for tablets has increased by 12 points to 74 percent, although this is still some way behind the 87 percent interest in the iPad. Interestingly, and despite the fact that devices are not available to customers, RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook also saw a 12 point increase in interest, although at 28 percent it is still some way behind the iPad and Android tablets.

Among the handset platforms, Android phone support rose by 5 points to 87 percent, putting it on a par with the iPad – but behind the iPhone, at 92 percent. This means that developers are being confronted by a choice after the iPhone: whether to support the iPad or Android smartphones. Appcelerator’s “common recommendation” is that Android wins for market share and design re-use, while the iPad is the way forward for “enhancing the experience.”

The surveyed developers said that price is the main criteria for success of Android tablet devices (57 percent), ahead of minimised fragmentation (49 percent) and the capabilities of the Android Honeycomb platform (33 percent). Developers also have a wishlist for the next-generation iPad – integrated camera, a USB connector, and an improved retina display.

Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 platform saw an 8 point increase in developer support, with 36 percent of developers claiming to be “very interested,” due to a “better-than-expected” launch – the improved UI was also cited as a factor for the increase. This puts it two points behind RIM’s BlackBerry platform.
The increased interest in tablets has also led to one casualty: connected television platforms. Appcelerator found that interest decreased as Google “dialled down” its launch plans and TV networks “blocked access to their content.” Interest in Google’s TV proposition fell by 11 points to 33 percent, while interest in Apple TV dropped by 10 points to 30. Interest in other platforms was “minimal.”

Interest in Amazon’s anticipated app store also showed “early promise.” While 82 percent of developers are interested in developing through the Android Market, 37 percent expressed an interest in the Amazon Appstore, followed by 13 percent interest in Verizon’s VCast and 9 percent for GetJar.

New features piquing developer interest
While a “native user interface” remains the most important feature for developers, several others have gained support significantly in the last three months. The big winners were geo-location, Facebook support and Google Maps integration, indicating a desire for cloud connectivity and location and social networking features.

The biggest losers from the last survey were database support, a native file system, audio/video playback capabilities, and iAd integration.

Maturing developer attitudes noted
Appcelerator and IDC have also introduced a new “mobile maturity model” to identify how mobility is developing across enterprise and consumer markets. Last year, most respondents (44 percent) said they were at the “exploration” phase of their mobile strategy: “a simple app or two – typically on iPhone – and a focus on brand affinity apps was standard practice.” Now more than half (55 percent) state they are at the “acceleration” phase, with developers looking to offer more titles, on more platforms or devices, and features such as cloud integration also gaining popularity.

It was also noted that more-and-more businesses are moving their application development in-house. Increasingly integrated web and mobile teams are becoming responsible for a company’s mobile strategy “in order to have complete control over campaigns that span websites, Facebook pages and mobile devices.”