Those who attended Microsoft's Build 2015 developer conference in San Francisco last April 29 were surprised, or skeptical, when the company announced the new tools under its Universal Windows Platform which targets developers to make different existing codes, especially those of Android and iOS apps, run in Windows without the need to rebuild it.
With all the rumors that came before the launch, many people thought that the software giant has big plans to adopt Android apps in its upcoming devices. However, Microsoft's vice president of operating system development Terry Myerson, according to The Verge, said the company recognized the idea that many developers currently created apps for iOS first and then edit it to be used in Android.
Considering this, combined with the company's goal to bring Windows 10 to reach a billion customers in the next three years, Microsoft eventually came up with new software development kits (SDK). Developers targeting smartphones and other mobile devices can use one of the toolkits that enables them to grab existing Java or C++ code and Objective-C code that are used to make Android apps or iOS apps respectively, and convert it into a Windows application.
Once ported, the apps can then be used in various devices - smartphones, tablets, PCs and XBox One console - that will run the latest Windows 10 software. The Universal Windows Platform ensures a seamless transition, removing the distinction between apps having desktop, mobile, and tablet versions.
Myerson said the process is possible and proof of this is the Candy Crush Saga game by King. It was originally developed for the iOS platform but was ported out without much changes to run in the Windows Phone platform using Microsoft's tools.
The new toolkits can surely help developers increase the number of Windows apps and make them available in the Windows Store. Should this translate to a wider variety of applications for Windows Phones, it will encourage more people to use Windows devices.
To augment all this is the Continuum feature in Windows 10. It basically give a Windows smartphone the ability to connect to a keyboard, mouse and a monitor. Once connected, the phone can now be used like a PC.
However, to reach the one billion target in the next three years seems quite a feat for Microsoft. Even though the company is giving Windows 10 as a free upgrade to existing Windows software users, IDC and other analysts estimate that Windows Phone runs in about 3% of smartphones worldwide. Android currently dominates the smartphone market share with 81% followed by iOS with only 15%.
