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Developers: Apple dominates mobile for now, but Google tops for long-term potential

As the mobile platform war heats up, developers chime in on the pros and cons of each OS, giving Apple the No. 1 player trophy today - but leaning toward Google as the winner for the long term.
Written by Sam Diaz, Inactive

The battle for mobile platform dominance is looking more like an intense game of chess between Apple and Google. The way developers see it, Apple might be dominating the game today but in the long-term, it will be Google and its open platform approach that will take the top honors.

The conclusions come from a mobile developer's survey conducted last week by Appcelerator. You can slice and dice the data all you want to draw conclusions - but this group of 2,700+ developers who responded to the survey sent a strong message about what they're seeing, hearing and dealing with as it relates to the evolution of mobile.

Consider that Apple ranks No. 1 in almost every question from the survey. Developers overwhelmingly say it has the best app store, marketplace and commerce capability. They see it as the most secure platform and think that the best devices run on the OS. But, in terms of having the most capabilities as an OS, offering the most open platform and having the best long-term outlook, the trophy goes to Google.

The survey goes on to talk about the future potentials - that is, beyond the mobile phone itself. There's a lot of interest in developing apps for other Web-connected devices, including Web-connected TVs (83 percent), Web-connected displays such as those found in airports or malls (78 percent), touch-screen kiosks (75 percent) and automotive systems (65 percent). With that in mind, Appcelerator also put together a handy-dandy little score card showcasing the biggest advantage and disadvantage of each OS.

Hey, Apple - check out what 86 percent of the developers listed as your biggest downfall.

Check out the full report here.

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