iOS may quickly be losing market share to Android devices on a global scale, but that doesn’t mean developers have lost their interest in Apple’s forthcoming mobile operating system refresh.
The findings of a new survey of 575 iOS developers by Twitterrific developer Craig Hockenberry of The Iconfactory indicate that App Store developers see iOS 7 as important to support, with 95% saying they are actively updating their existing apps to support Apple’s new software.
Hockenberry says that “the depth and breadth of the changes in iOS 7 makes it difficult to support older versions of the OS.” Consequently, 52% of the surveyed developers’ apps will soon require iOS 7 in order to work.
“If you’re a consumer of apps, this is great news: it’s likely that your favorite apps will be ready for action come this fall,” Hockenberry stated. “If you’re someone who has a device that’s a couple of years old, now’s the time to start thinking about upgrading. Many apps will require a device capable of running iOS 7.”
iOS 7 may be released as soon as next month.
