Setapp, the curated app subscription service for macOS and iOS by MacPaw, has released its 7th annual Mac Developer Survey results.
The survey collected responses from 701 developers worldwide about their common practices and challenges, preferred distribution channels, and anticipated industry trends.
“These results provide valuable insights on the current state of Mac development from those who know best – app makers,” says Oleksandr Kosovan, CEO and founder of Setap. ”With nearly 200 developers on board and a drive to help the Mac dev community improve, we understand the value of staying on top of the latest trends and industry insights.”
According to the survey, almost one-third of surveyed Mac developers distribute their apps solely outside of the Mac App Store. Additionally, 60% of respondents expressed interest in distributing their iOS apps through third-party app stores as a way to grow users and add revenue streams.
Kosovan says nother interesting development is that ChatGPT seems to be gaining traction with technology providers as an implementation strategy for conversational AI applications. Already 39% of respondents have employed this technique within their development flow while another 41% state they are currently working on it.
I/ML models seem increasingly popular among developers as well: 44% have already implemented these tools in their apps with an additional nearly one-third (28%) stating they were working on doing so.
The study also revealed that accessibility is a priority for many developers. Almost nine out of ten respondents (87%) put effort into making their apps accessible with visual impairments getting most focus.
Finally, the economic downturn has impacted businesses across various industries including those related to software development; consequently affecting around three-quarters (75%) of surveyed Mac developers’ businesses.
The full report can be found at: https://setapp.com/mac-developer-survey-2023
