Java is undoubtedly the most popular and widely used programming language. But a recent report by the Realm, a mobile platform, Kotlin is expected to overtake Java as a major programming language in Android application development by 2018.
Kotlin is a statistically-typed programming language, 100% interoperable with java and android, developed for modern multiplatform applications. Kotlin wasn’t popular until recently when Google officially announced its support for the new programming language joining the already existing languages C++ and Java. JetBrains, a software development company developed Kotlin which is now collaborating with Android to move Kotlin into a non-profit organization. Kotlin has already been adopted by several major developers — Expedia, Flipboard, Pinterest, Square, and others — for their production apps.
According to the new Realm Reports, there’s a tremendous increase in implementing Android Apps with Kotlin by the developers after Google announced about its advantages. These reports are based on a keen speculation in the development of mobile application industry by around 100,000 active developers.
According to the statistics, the rate of adoption of Kotlin by the developers has doubled from 7.4% to 14.7%, at the end of September, after Google’s I/O announcement. Also, the number of mobile applications built with Kotlin has increased by 125% since August 2015, according to the Realm Report.
Comparatively, the number of Android apps built with Java has decreased by 6.1% over the past four months, according to the reports. The reports said, “Kotlin will overtake Java in December 2018. That’s about 17 months after Google announced official support at Google I/O, and 2.5 years after Kotlin reached v1.0”. “By contrast, it only took 14 months after Swift v1.0’s release before it hit the same milestone”.
Paul Kopacki, veep of marketing at Realm told in an interview to The Register that “Since Google blessed Kotlin as an acceptable language on Android, which happened in May at Google I/O, Kotlin use has just exploded. We think by the end of next year, Kotlin will have eclipsed Java for Android apps.”
“The effortless interoperation between the two languages has been a large part of Kotlin’s appeal,” Mike Cleron, Director of the Android Platform too hailed kotlin in a blog post. He further added saying that, this programming language will be “very familiar to anyone who has used the Java programming language.”
“It’s clear: Java (on Android) is dying. In fact, 20% of apps built with Java before Google I/O are now being built in Kotlin. Kotlin may even change how Java is used on the server, too.” Realm Report notes. “In short, Android developers without Kotlin skills are at risk of being seen as dinosaurs very soon.”
Kotlin’s modern outlook is considered to be the reason behind its growth, says Realm. “Kotlin is a much more modern language,” Realm chief marketer Paul Kopacki said. “It’s easier to understand, it’s easier to write, it’s a little higher in abstraction than Java, and it’s really been designed with mobile in mind.”
Kotlin is currently in most popular in countries like Germany, Japan, India, the U.S., and Brazil.
What do you think about Kotlin? Will it surpass java in Android development? Share your views in the comments below!
