With the rumors of a larger iPhone and a smaller iPad gaining momentum, the developers seem to be unfazed over the possible apple screen-size changes.
Gene Munster, analyst of Piper Jaffray conducted a poll at last week’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in California, questioning the developers over the difficulty of adjusting the applications to the two new screen sizes. The poll results scaled between one to 10, one being least difficult and 10 being the toughest, averaged 3.4 out of 10, suggesting no major issues in adapting apps for a potential 4-inch iPhone screen or a smaller “iPad mini.”
Concluding on these results, Munster noted to the investors, “Given the relative ease expected by developers for utilizing potential new iOS screen sizes, we believe the introduction of new screen sizes would not affect the success or availability of the apps on iOS”.
Furthermore, he observed that the number of WWDC developers building apps for iOS and android has grown from last year’s 47 percent to more than 55 percent. For these developers, iOS was the clear favorite owing to the ease of development and future revenue growth. Munster further elaborated, “We believe that Apple’s loyal developer base will continue to develop cutting edge apps for iOS that will draw in new customers, helping to fuel continued growth in iOS device sales.”
About 14 percent of iOS developers also work with Windows Phones, up 1 percent from last year, and 9 percent create BlackBerry apps, a steep decline from 36 percent in 2011.
“The importance of a strong developer base is crucial to the success of a mobile operating system and therefore the success of a phone or tablet as well,” Munster concluded.