Nokia Ovi Store tops amongst wireless developers

SANTA CRUZ, USA: While overall Apple’s iPhone App Store is still more popular worldwide than any other, Nokia’s Ovi Store has overtaken Apple in crucial high-growth emerging markets in Asia-Pacific and Latin America, according to Evans Data Corp’s newly released Wireless Development Survey. 

Microsoft’s Windows Marketplace for Mobile and apps sold directly through a carrier were also popular channels.

"The app store model is now an expected part of any wireless developer program," said Janel Garvin, CEO of Evans Data. "And while Apple’s iPhone App Store set the pace in North America and Europe, Nokia has been busy cultivating developers outside the U.S. in their traditional offshore strongholds, and has been remarkably successful in the short time of the OVI store’s existence."

However, monetization of their applications is not the top priority for wireless developers in selecting a platform, being much less important than technical issues such as operating system, application runtime, and development tools, according to the survey of over 400 wireless developers conducted in December and released to subscribers this week.

Other highlights of the survey include:

* Java Data Objects are the most likely way to connect back-end applications to wireless apps.

* More than 60 percent of wireless development projects are completed within 6 months or less.

* Intel’s processors are targeted by more wireless developers than any other vendor including ARM and nVidia.