Microsoft Releases Four SDKs To Encourage Greater Developer Support For The Windows Store

A buzzword Microsoft loves to throw around in advance of the release of any new Windows version is “universal”. Windows on the desktop, the notebook, tablets, and of course, smartphones. At its ongoing Build conference, though, the company has given an entirely new meaning to the word – at least with regards to what we’ve come to expect.

It’s hard to argue that the app situation on Windows 8 was a little embarrassing. On the desktop, almost no one had reason to venture into the store, and on notebooks, there’s been moderate interest – with most of it being with those equipped with a touchscreen. Even on tablets, such as the Surface Pro, the selection has just never been as compelling as it is on Android and iOS. Well, with Windows 10, that may no longer be a major problem.

To entice developers to make their apps available for Windows 10, Microsoft has unveiled some SDKs that should help make the app transition a simple one. It’s hard to call this “porting”, because it seems to work by letting developers add Windows-specific code to their app, which will allow it to run as it’s supposed to. That could technically mean that apps on Windows 10 devices could run a bit slower than on other established mobile platforms, but we’re likely to not notice given that the performance on Windows devices tends to be a fair bit better to begin with.

The four SDKs to become available target Web code, .NET and Win32, Android (Java/C++), and iOS (Objective C). As proof that this isn’t just some fluff, Microsoft has already announced a win: Adobe has announced that it’d bring its Photoshop Elements and Premier Elements software to the Windows Store, something made possible after leveraging the SDK for Win32 applications. Another simpler transition was made with King’s Candy Crush; the code originated on iOS, and became available on Windows with “very few code modifications”.

Windows 10 already had a number of great selling-points, but where mobile platforms are concerned, this is one that could turn out to be the most important.