With Windows Phone 8 just around the corner, it seems as if developer interest in the Windows Phone 7 platform has plummeted. According to a study performed by Appcelerator, only a quarter of developers interviewed were interested in developing for the platform, while the number was close to 37 percent just a few months before the announcement of Windows Phone 8.
The drop can be pinned squarely on the shoulders of Windows Phone 7 becoming an “obsolete” platform and one Microsoft probably won’t support despite its pledge to release the Windows Phone 7.8 update for all current WP customers. The problem lies in the fact that Windows Phone 8 will see an architecture change so that apps are cross compatible between phone and standard OS. This leaves out the older Windows CE based platforms such as WP7.
Despite the current lack of support for Windows Phone 7, all is not lost to the realm of updates. The same developers expressed high interest in Windows 8 development, though 65% said they’re waiting to see just how consistent the user experience is between smartphones, tablets and PCs once the OS has been released.
[via The Register]
