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RIM "shocked" by report saying developers are fleeing

RIM's VP of developer relations is surprised at the survey that puts iOS and Android above BB10.

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
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Joe Svetlik
2 min read

RIM's vice president of developer relations claims he was shocked by the results of a survey that suggested developers are turning their backs on the forthcoming BB10 operating system.

The report is by Baird Equity Research. It surveyed 200 developers and found that on a scale of one to 10, their collective outlook for BB10 had fallen from 4.6 to 3.8. Compare this to a sky high 9.3 for iOS and 8.7 for Android, and you can see why RIM feels the need to go on the defensive.

"Needless to say, I was shocked by the findings," Alec Saunders wrote on the BlackBerry Developer Blog. "I was shocked because the numbers in the report do not gel with what we're seeing in the real world. The report contradicts much of what we are seeing and hearing in our developer community."

He went on to say that the vendor base for its App World has grown by 157 per cent, with more than 15,000 apps added for the PlayBook tablet this year. RIM also recently announced it had surpassed 3 billion downloads from App World, averaging more than 2.5 million downloads every single day, which isn't to be sniffed at.

Saunders said developers told him they "appreciate the open nature of our platform" and they're amazed how easy it is to work with BB10. The've also told him that RIM treats developers better than anyone else in the industry.

That's all well and good, but most of it is anecdotal. No one can deny RIM is in a pretty dire position, with BB10 delayed (for the second time) until next year. RIM only made the announcement a couple of weeks ago, which could account for much of the recent developer dissatisfaction.

Should Saunders be "shocked" by the findings? Let me know what you reckon in the comments below, or over on Facebook.