Apple is gaining ground in the mobile enterprise market, while the influence of Google’s Android platform is on the wane, according to a survey of developer sentiment conducted by research house IDC and developer tools firm Appcelerator.

According to the pair, Apple’s iOS has opened a “dramatic 16 percent lead” over Android with regard to the potential enterprise winner. The Apple platform was selected by 53 percent of recipients, compared with 44 percent in the third quarter of 2011, while Android was selected by 37 percent, again compared with 44 percent.

This change was attributed to the “growing strength” of the iPhone maker in the enterprise, taking into account features such as the popularity of the iPad, reports of Android malware, enterprise challenges in dealing with Android fragmentation, and “resultant anecdotal reports of enterprises re-evaluating widespread Android deployment outside of particular business vertical implementations like M2M”.

The report noted that the “mobile enterprise market remains quite fluid,” and the effect of Google’s recently-completed acquisition and integration of Motorola Mobility – and its IT management and support assets – has not been fully felt by the market.

The perceived weakness of Android in the enterprise was described as a “key Microsoft opportunity”, giving the Windows company the chance to become the number two OS priority for mobile enterprise apps.

Mixed feelings toward Microsoft
Appcelerator and IDC said developers are “cautiously optimistic” about Windows 8 tablets, with Microsoft’s Metro user interface “especially compelling”. One third of respondents said they are “very interested” in Windows 8 tablets, which Appcelerator said is “an important data point for Microsoft to leverage by translating its strength in the enterprise into the mobile space”.

There are issues for Microsoft to address, if mobile developers are to port ARM-based mobile apps to x86 devices such as Windows 8 tablets. This includes: the ability to deliver consistent user experiences; the ability to reuse code as much as possible; and availability of tools to assist in porting between architectures.

The anticipated Metro UI is also set to provide a “strategic differentiation” opportunity for Microsoft. Of those polled, 43.8 percent said that they thought the interface was “beautiful and different” compared to iOS and Android, with 28.5 percent stating that it is “helping them rethink how to engage more effectively with users”.

This ability to provide “new and differentiated” app experiences using Metro is “something Microsoft and its OEM partners should more fully explore with app developers, especially highlighting early best practices”, Appcelerator and IDC suggested.

Less positively, developer interest in Windows Phone 7 dropped sharply. WP7 “very interested” levels dropped to 25 percent from 37 in Q1 2012. It said that this was “not unexpected given disappointing WP7 handset sales to date and Nokia’s recently reported competitive challenges”.