Wireless developers really do own the short end of the stick.
Whereas Microsoft Corp.’s Windows system largely dominates the computer industry, there is no such unifying platform in wireless. Developers in the mobile-phone space are left with a dizzying array of choices from Java to BREW to Symbian to Palm. And there’s no real end in sight-only a further fracturing of standards and platforms.
Of course, wireless companies would like to simplify the development landscape. More applications mean more interested users and more potential revenues. At the same time, no company wants to secede control of the marketplace to a Microsoft or other dominant vendor. Since no company wants to relinquish control, the situation probably will continue, leaving developers-and consumers-to sort it all out.
Perhaps one of the most complex issues in the developer scene involves the tangled market for smart phones.
Although there are differing opinions on what exactly constitutes a smart phone, most in the industry agree that a true smart phone features an open operating system. Microsoft’s Windows typifies an open OS-any developer, from Denver to India, can build an application that can run on top of Windows. Developers don’t need special certificates or revenue-sharing agreements to make a Windows application-all they need is the technical know-how and a good idea and they could make millions.
The same thinking goes into a smart-phone operating system. By employing an open OS, wireless players hope to attract innovative software designers to their platform. Software developers in turn could entice new customers with the lure of clever and fun applications-from calorie counters to portable star charts to Tetris.
Although most smart phones feature open operating systems, not all operating systems are the same. Wireless developers must choose from among Symbian, PalmSource Inc., Microsoft and a number of other vendors, including BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. and Linux purveyor MontaVista Software Inc.
Each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses, said ABI analyst Philip Solis.
“Symbian is still by far the market leader, but more Windows Mobile phones are reaching the market,” he said. “And we are bullish about the prospects for a rebranded Palm user interface running over Linux (alongside many other Linux OS solutions) taking some of Symbian’s market share.”
According to research from Canalys, Symbian commanded a dominant position in the first quarter of this year with 61 percent of the “smart mobile device” market. Canalys includes handhelds, wireless handhelds and smart phones in its market definition. Next is Microsoft’s Windows Mobile platform with an 18-percent share, followed by the Palm OS with 10.5 percent. RIM’s BlackBerry scored 7 percent of the market.
“All of those are completely different,” said Chris Tyburski, chief technology officer and vice president of product development for AppForge Inc. The company sells developer tools that address the various platforms in wireless. “You still have to have a separate code base for all those platforms.”
Tyburski explained that each smart phone OS represents an entirely new environment for developers, which makes developing for multiple platforms that much more difficult. The process is much like learning a new language-it takes time and effort.
“It’s a major concern,” Tyburski said. “I think it’s causing people to step in with a little trepidation.”
Further complicating the problem is the rapid pace of innovation in the wireless industry. Handset makers are racing to develop new and more advanced phones, and users are replacing their devices every one to two years. Operating systems evolve along with products themselves. For example, Tyburski said the newest version of Symbian’s platform includes several new features and functions that developers must take into account. The same is true with the latest version of Microsoft’s Windows Mobile offering.
“They’re being updated all the time,” Tyburski said.
So what is a wireless developer to do?
“Developers really follow what the consumers’ interests are,” said John Andrews, president of Evans Data Corp., a research and consulting firm focused on software developers.
According to Evans Data’s numbers, the top development environment in the wireless industry is Java. The firm said 56 percent of developers spend at least some of their time writing to Java. This comes as no surprise, since there are more than 700 million phones featuring Java technology. Java can run third-party applications inside of a phone, but is not a full-fledged operating system.
The second most popular environment for developers is Microsoft’s lineup of Windows Mobile devices, including smart phones and personal digital assistants. Andrews said many developers are familiar with Windows tools for desktop computers, and can readily move that expertise to the wireless realm.
Interestingly, Linux is Evans Data’s third most popular developer environment. Although there are relatively few Linux devices on the market, developers enjoy the technology because most Linux development tools are free. Linux is an open-source technology, which means it is free to use and distribute.
Although the smart-phone industry-along with the overall phone market-continues to expand, the rising tide isn’t lifting all ships.
“Palm peaked a couple of years ago,” Andrews said. “We’ve seen a decline since that peak.”
There are roughly 400,000 registered Palm OS developers, compared with 640,000 Windows Mobile developers and almost 2 million registered Symbian developers.
“The list of OSs and platforms that you can target today are going to be reduced,” Andrews predicted. “The winners will start to come out, and developers are going to target the winners.” RCR
