The survey found that although developers are optimistic about Redmond's promise to ensure that code written for Windows 8 will work across desktops, tablets and smartphones, there is "significant doubt that Microsoft can actually accomplish this difficult task and gain the market share required to make it a relevant mobile platform".
The findings, gathered from the opinions of about 5,000 mobile software engineers, emerge practically on the eve of Microsoft's Windows 8 launch.
The new operating system's “shared development capabilities” and "single development environment" for building apps for slabs and desktops were welcomed by programmers, who compared that to the fragmentation in Google's Android world.
But holding a strong market share is crucial for Microsoft and its rivals, according to the survey by market research biz IDC and Appcelerator, which develops cross-platform tools for desktop and mobile.
In the pair's third-quarter study, 53 per cent of app makers quizzed said a large install base is their number-one criterion when picking a platform to write for.
With that in mind, Apple’s iOS for iPhone and iPad continues to be the top pick for developers - 85 and 83 per cent of those polled fancy those devices, respectively - followed by Android phones and tablets in third and fourth place - 76 and 66 per cent, respectively.
Source: The Register
