Microsoft embraces Android and iOS App Developers
You have to admit – Window’s come out with some of the biggest news of the year with its app strategy. Indeed, Microsoft Universal App Strategy is pretty bold: Bring Android apps, iOS apps, Windows desktop apps and Web apps into the Windows 10 platform. By this mechanism, other platform developers can create apps without breaking a sweat with Microsoft’s specialized programming tools.
Porting Android Apps To Windows 10
Project Astoria is the Universal Windows Platform Bridge for Android. Developers looking to try this module can get their hands on it now, but with limited privileges. It lets Android developers build Windows 10 apps with minimal code changes directly using the tool. It is as simple as reusing the same structure. Even during testing purposes, developers can choose their preferred IDE and not depend on Visual Studio.
The few limitations with reusing codes are that apps run only on ARM based Windows 10 phones and a few tablets with smaller screen size. X86 Windows 10 tablets and phones will not support such apps. The developers can also put in little efforts and use Microsoft interoperability library to pull in few of Microsoft services into the app. The ultimate aim is to let Android developers generate revenue from both Windows 10 platform as well as Google Play, with a similar set of codes.
Porting iOS Apps To Windows 10
Project Islandwood is the Universal Windows Platform Bridge for iOS. Developers can try this prototype model now, but with limited privileges. Unlike Astoria, developers can code with their native language, such as Objective C within the same program. Only few necessary changes are needed which can be easily adapted by the programmers. Also, the app building and testing can be done within Visual Studio.
From compatibility point of view, developers will have luck in porting iPhone apps to Windows 10 phones and iPad apps for Windows 10 tablets of similar sizes. Developers also have the option to include Windows services and extend their app with ease.
Microsoft’s aim of creating a Universal Platform for Windows 10 might seem far-fetched. But, this option is lucrative for most developers. With just one set of codes, they can generate revenues from two separate platforms. This is definitely a big selling point. Initially, with the launch of Windows 10, only web apps can be brought on-board to the Windows Store. The other platform apps should wait for a considerable amount of time before jumping onto the Windows bandwagon.