Survey: Google+ can ‘catch up to Facebook’

Google+, the new kid on the social networking block, “can catch up to Facebook,” according to a new survey of mobile app developers. They also say Apple’s soon-to-be released iCloud could “significantly disrupt” the mobile space.

The survey of 2,012 developers done by Appcelerator and IDC July 20-22 focused on the developers perceptions about mobile operating system priorities.

“Apple and Google are accelerating their lead in mobile by redefining mobile app engagement, loyalty, and cloud connectivity through their new Google+ and iCloud offerings,” Appcelerator/IDC said in a third-quarter Mobile Developer Report. “Developers also indicate that they see Apple and Google gains in the consumer application space translating into significant traction in the enterprise space over time.”

Here’s more of what developers said about social networking:

• Two-third believe Google+ will “catch up” to Facebook, saying that Google’s “leveraging” of its assets, such as search, Maps and YouTube, “trumps Facebook’s social graph lead,” and 49 percent think Google “shows more innovation than Facebook with new Google+ features like circles, sparks, hangouts.”
• App developers still put Facebook as first this year: 83 percent of developers using social in their apps say they use or are planning to use Facebook this year, 73 percent will use Twitter, 72 percent will use Google+ (when a development platform is released), 30 percent will use LinkedIn, and 23 percent, Foursquare.
• “When asked what social capabilities are most important in their apps, developers said that features that encourage repeat usage and offer fresh content are more important than location checkins and photo sharing. In order of priority, developers use social for: notifications (52 percent), status updates (49 percent), login/identity (44 percent), messaging (38 percent), news (35 percent), location sharing (32 percent), photo sharing (31 percent), and friend requests (26 percent).

The findings come on the heels of another report, released Tuesday by comScore, that says Google+ has drawn 25 million users, making it the fastest website to reach that audience size.

As to Apple’s iCloud, just released in beta, or test mode, this week for developers, it “may significantly disrupt mobile cloud computing space, as developers envision a tight race between Amazon and Apple,” Appcelerator/IDC said.

“Developers who are using or planning to use cloud services over the next year see Amazon (51 percent), iCloud (50 percent), Microsoft Windows Azure (20 percent), VMWare (20 percent), and RedHat OpenShift (17 percent) as the top five players.

Apple and Google’s “strengths in the mobile consumer space are clearly making inroads in developer perceptions towards the enterprise arena,” Appcelerator/IDC said in the report. When developers were asked which mobile platform is “best positioned to win” in the corporate arena, they were “evenly divided between iOS and Android at 44 percent each.”

Only 7 percent “believe Windows Phone has a shot, 4 percent for BlackBerry, and 2 percent for webOS.”

Appcelerator and IDC said that “enterprises are taking a more cautious approach with Android at scale due to security concerns in which case they are looking to Apple when they go beyond BlackBerry and Windows mobile deployments.”

The iPhone remains the top choice for mobile app development by 91 percent; the iPad is second, at 88 percent. Android phones are third at 87 percent, and Android tablets, 74 percent.

“We added HTML5 mobile Web as a new option to rank this quarter, which comes in fifth at 66 percent,” said Appcelerator/IDC.

The “second tier remains the same”: Windows Phone (30 percent), BlackBerry phones (28 percent), BlackBerry Playbook (20 percent), HP TouchPad (18 percent), HP Palm Pre/Pixi (12 percent), Symbian (7 percent), and MeeGo (5 percent).

So, consider keeping your head in the cloud a plus, says Appcelerator/IDC: “That ‘upstarts’ iCloud and Google+ can challenge entrenched players Amazon and Facebook shows how quickly these new capabilities will shake up what’s possible in mobile.”

Related stories:

• Google+ attracts 25 million visitors
• Apple iCloud pricing starts at $20 a year
• Foursquare seeing 3 million check-ins daily
• Developers: Android is risky business

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