It’s no secret that Microsoft’s app stores lag behind the competition when it comes to breadth and quality, but at Build 2015, the company has announced how it is going to fight back.
Since its inception, Microsoft has always been focused on making developers' lives easier and today, they are making it simpler for Android and iOS developers to move to Windows with the announcement of four new SDKs.
The new SDKs are targeted for: Websites; .NET and Win32; Android Java/C++; and iOS Objective C. With these new tools, you can take existing apps and bring them to Windows with minimal work.
In fact, Microsoft has already ported Candy Crush Saga to Windows Phone using these new tools. The company says that there were only a few code modifications needed after conversion and the app currently has a 4.5 star rating.
These tools have been in the development process for several years as the company worked to perfect the new SDKs to make it easier for developers to move to Windows with their apps. Seeing that iOS and Android devs can now streamline their development process to allow them to tap into the Windows ecosystem, it appears to be a potential win-win for all involved.
The only question that remains is if this will be enough to convince devs to actually move and support an app in the Windows ecosystem. With the tooling ready and being released today, we won’t have to wait too long to find out.
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