Microsoft is employing new strategies and that is to bring on board iOS as well as Android users who have a very wide list of apps and games to use while Microsoft’s Windows phones are limited in this aspect getting second choice of customers but now things seems to be changed. Microsoft is aiming to win back consumers it had lost to Android and iOS users by making it easier for them to use such apps on Windows phone as well as on Windows PC. It has promised developers that there would be as much as a billion devices for creation of apps.
As per reports with ‘Project Island wood’ it will allow iOS developers to create the usage on Windows and ‘Project Astoria’ that will include an Android runtime layer giving Android access on Windows. Thus, Microsoft aims to create a very huge and flexible platform for developers which will have a dynamic consumer base, creating a wide space of opportunities and accessibility. Previously, Microsoft had found it very difficult to maintain a consumer base and attract mobile developers with only 14% of mobiles, PC’s along with Tablets to be running on Windows.
Microsoft has already released the ‘photos companion app’ integrating iOS as well as Android users for easy transfer of photos plus videos for Windows 10 users available on desktop, tablets and notebooks. The app can be downloaded on the app store for the iOS and Google Play for the Android users. The app uses Wi-Fi connectivity on the phone and PC to establish a connection for transferring the photos and videos for which the devices need to be on the same network where a QR code is provided in the Windows photos app helping the transfer wirelessly.
The modified Android along with iOS apps will be Windows universal apps aimed majorly for smart phone users rather than PC’s. This will help in closing the gap between Windows and other Android plus iOS users where the present moment the numbers are big for Android and iOS apps with nearly 1.3 million apps in the app store and play store with near about only 5, 27,000 apps for Windows phones.
The Universal Windows Platforms are a superset of WinRT, the Windows 8 and the Windows RT runtimes. Microsoft had been tinkering with the idea of one window running across a variety of device types, enabling developers in creating universal apps built on a single run time using increasing same set of app programming interfaces and developer tools available from one store.
The Microsoft Edge available for the iOS and Android lets you sync in the background while connecting your phone with Windows PC, enabling seamless browsing across all your Android and iOS devices. Ultimately the synergy of all these apps can give rise to one dynamic, flexible and abundant app access store in the future making it uniform giving more features to the consumers.