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At Build this calendar week, Microsoft appear that it'due south going to offer a platform for iOS and Android developers to move their apps over to Windows devices. This appears to be done in slightly different ways. Android is at to the lowest degree partly emulated, while iOS isn't, but Microsoft is adding support for the Objective-C programming language. In that location'south also talk of edifice a Web interface for universal applications.

Microsoft's goal is straightforward: It wants Windows 10 to be a development target for Android and iOS developers, and information technology's hoping that making it easier to port programs will encourage developers to back up its own software. It's also apparently hoping that consumers who might otherwise be turned off by the lack of applications volition instead adopt Microsoft's platform.

Windows 10 will also ship with an updated browser: Microsoft Edge

Windows 10 will also ship with an updated browser: Microsoft Border

It's a reasonable goal, specially given that iOS and Android currently account for 96.3% of the mobile Os market — the question is, volition it piece of work?

Cantankerous-platform compatibility

The history of operating systems and products that offered cantankerous-platform capabilities as a major selling signal isn't a compelling ane. Dissimilar backwards compatibility, which has often been extremely of import to end users (imagine if ownership a new PC or smartphone meant no existing applications would work on it), cross-platform compatibility is oftentimes perceived as a last-ditch attempt to create a relevant market for one's own product.

The most obvious example of this is likely IBM'southward Os/ii. When Os 2.0 debuted, IBM marketed it with the tagline "a better DOS than DOS and a ameliorate Windows than Windows." In many means, this was considerately accurate — OS/two could run more one DOS awarding at a time and could fifty-fifty run multiple copies of Windows in parallel, with each copy sandboxed into its own virtual DOS motorcar (VDM). Despite being arguably more than advanced than any Bone Windows had shipped, OS/2 steadily lost footing. In more recent days, BlackBerry built its own cross-platform compatibility with Android applications — still this has done cypher to stem the tide of users fleeing the one time-mighty smartphone vendor.

UI elements are always going to clash between various platforms.

UI elements are always going to disharmonism between diverse platforms.

Cross-platform compatibility is not bad if your goal is to snag that ane Android game or iOS awarding that yous don't have access to, merely it'southward a poor means of edifice a software library. Android apps running on Windows 10 won't look similar Windows applications — they'll await like Android. iOS applications that don't receive UI overhauls will look similar iOS apps. You lot may snag a few buyers already on the fence, merely if someone is heavily invested in the Android or iOS ecosystems, they're unlikely to switch over to something new — not if Windows 10 mobile doesn't offer them an intrinsic reason to make that bound.

If Windows 10 mobile were prepare to debut with a real cut-edge handset pattern — a flagship to make Samsung and Apple tree cry — then Microsoft might have a denoting statement for why cross-platform compatibility made sense. Lacking such an option, it'south only not clear that anyone is going to buy a Windows 10 mobile device based on this feature. The corking irony of Windows Phone is that it's reportedly a far better OS than Windows Mobile ever was, still has enjoyed a fraction of that operating organisation'southward market share.

Every bit an iOS user (I have an iPhone 5c) I don't encounter any reason to consider Windows 10 mobile based on this capability lone — only I'm also not terribly invested in the Apple ecosystem (my tablet is Android and I use a Windows 7 PC). What well-nigh yous? Would you switch to Windows 10 mobile if the Android and iOS application compatibility was there — or do you desire native applications? If you've been on the argue, what would get you off of it?