Report: Mobile Developers Think Facebook Is Pretty Much Doomed

In a report to be released today from Appcelerator, a survey of 5,500 mobile developers found that 66 percent believe “it is likely to very likely that a mobile-first social startup will disrupt the market for social applications on mobile devices and take market share from Facebook.”

In other words, just the sort of news that Facebook’s stock needs now, more than ever.

The report is part of annual survey conducted by the mobile development firm and covers a wide range of topics. Among the other findings:

• Mobile developers also think HTML5 still blows in terms of “user experience, performance, monetization, fragmentation, distribution control, timeliness of new updates, and security.”
• Apple still rocks. Of those surveyed, “Apple maintained its dominance at the top of developers’ list for mobile app development this quarter, with 85% of developers very interested in building apps for iOS smartphones and 83% equally focused on iPad apps.”
• Android is slipping. According to the report: Android “development declines for a fourth quarter. Android’s return to decline in developer interest levels is disconcerting, with now fewer than 65% of developers very interested in developing for that tablet platform.”
• RIM’s reputation is terrible. Still. Silver lining: Could open the window of opportunity for Windows 8.

But, it’s the Facebook findings that will likely keep the fears alive that surround Facebook’s mobile future. On Monday, a report from Barron’s, which pegged Facebook’s stock at $15, helped drive down the company’s stock by $2.09 to $20.79.