In an effort to court those developers, including many who have been lured by the larger opportunity offered by
“Our goal is to make Windows 10 the most attractive developer platform ever,” Terry Myerson, Microsoft's executive vice president of operating, said during a keynote at the company's Build conference for software developers. Windows 10 is expected to ship later this year.
The goal is attainable, especially when counting PCs, where Microsoft remains a powerhouse, said technology analyst Patrick Moorhead, president of Moor Insights & Strategy. Windows 10 will be able to run on the millions of PCs that currently run Windows 7 or Windows 8, and it will be pre-loaded into some 300 million new PCs that will ship in this year, according to estimates.
“Microsoft is trying to impress upon developers that it's bigger than iOS and Android. They have a much larger footprint,” said Moorhead.
Of course, it is in the mobile world where Microsoft is suffering, as Windows Phones account for a tiny fraction of the smartphone market. Microsoft is trying to get around that problem by erasing the lines between the mobile and PC world. The linchpin of that approach are Windows 10's universal apps, which will work any sized device, from phones to PCs and even the Xbox One game console and HoloLens, the company's new augmented reality device. Universal apps are intended to simplify life for the developers, who will be able to create one version of their software for all devices that use Microsoft's operating system--although there will be some additional coding necessary for transferring apps to Xbox and HoloLens.
Microsoft's boldest new move to resurrect its mobile fortunes was its announcement that iOS and Android developers will be able to use the same code to create a Windows versions of their apps. The move should drastically increase the number of apps that run on Windows phones.
Developers still have to do some work to convert their apps. King Digital Entertainment has already used the iOS code for its hugely popular Candy Crush to create a Windows 10 app. Microsoft also showed off an Android version of the Choice Hotels app working on a Windows phone.
“Everybody thought hell would freeze over before Microsoft would do something like that,” said Moorhead, referring to Microsoft opening up its development platform. “It convinces everybody that Microsoft is in it to win it. They're willing to put all their sacrificial lambs out there. They're willing to do what it takes to thrive in a cloud and mobile world.”
Microsoft is also making it easy for developers to move their older Windows applications -- those built on .Net and Win32 -- as well as Web apps written in Javascript to Windows 10.
To make developing for Windows more appealing, Microsoft will integrate its Windows Store and its artificial intelligence assistant Cortana more deeply in Windows 10. Windows 10 users will be able to control apps straight from the home screen using Cortana. For example, a user could communicate with a friend through the messaging app Viber by just commanding Cortana. The Windows Store will collect information about which apps you use and how you use them and then suggest other apps you might be interested in straight from the Start menu.
Microsoft is also working hard to make Windows 10 phones easier to use, especially in emerging markets. The company announced at Build that it will allow carrier billing in its Windows Store, so users will be able to buy apps using the mobile number rather than having to enter their credit card. That will be appealing to the millions of smartphone phone users in developing countries who don't have credits cards, said Myerson. Microsoft said 90 mobile operators around the world will support this carrier billing with the company.
“Windows 10 represents a new generation of Windows built for an era of more personal computing,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said during the conference. “The mobility of the experience is what matters, not the mobility of the device.”
