“Microsoft announced today during its Build conference that it will release a tool for developers to port their iOS apps directly to Windows 10 as ‘universal apps’ that run on both phones and desktop computers,” Mike Beasley reports for 9to5Mac. “Developers will be able to feed their existing Objective-C code into a new software package and have it converted to work on the upcoming PC operating system.”
“At least, that’s how Microsoft is pitching it, though the whole process is a bit more complex,” Beasley reports. “Essentially Windows 10 will ship with APIs that mirror the expected behavior of many iOS APIs, and this new conversion tool will help developers swap out iOS code for matching Windows code.”
“Unfortunately for iOS developers, there is absolutely no mention of Apple’s new Swift programming language,” Beasley reports, “meaning those looking to make their apps cross-platform easily will need to hang back on Obj-C for now.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: As with just about everything they do, Microsoft’s attempt to knife Apple’s Swift baby is simply too late. Desperation breeds laughable futility.
Hear that? (total silence punctuated by the occasional cricket chirp) That’s the sound of iOS developers clamoring to port their apps to phones that nobody uses.
The shoe’s on the other foot now, Mickeyslop. Enjoy your inexorable decline. We certainly are. Immensely. 🙂
M$ sells cellphones!???? 🖖😀⌚️
From your down votes I say there are at least 15 MS fanatics left on earth.
Or ONE loser with an equally mindless trollbot… 🙂
I have an old Windows 7.5 cell phone. It works OK, but it is certainly not an iPhone. But it did not cost anything and the T-Mobile plan was cheap.
It is about time to upgrade to iPhone + Apple Watch…
MS also said they were allowing Android on the Windows phone. Sanjay is reeking of desperation.
Don’t fret hawk once MDN’s app is fixed they’ll be no more ability to down vote en mass
They are trying to come up with a Project Wine for Windows Phone. The difference being that it is iOS APIs because my emulated.
I remember when Project Wine held such “promise” for the Mac in the dark days of the late 90’s and early 00’s. You could keep you Mac and run all Windows apps natively!!!
This will turn out no differently.
being, not because my.
Sometimes I hate autocorrect.
Desperation
Microsoft have just announced they are changing their name to Apple.
You missed the latest news: Microsoft is changing the name of their home city to Redfruit and the company will be called Applesoft.
And Windows 10 will be changed to Microsoft OS X.
This is probably the smartest thing Microsoft has done in 10 years, even if it is half-baked. If this actually works (a BIG IF), then Microsoft could in very short order have hundreds of thousands of apps for its moribund platform, perhaps even driving sales of Windows Phones.
But if you’re going to buy a smartphone which runs ported iOS apps, why wouldn’t you just buy an iPhone?
Let’s see…because the Windows phone is actually a better device and the only reason most people say they didn’t buy one is because of the lack of apps. Take that excuse away and add the ability for “Continuum” to allow your higher end Win10 Phone to also run like a desktop and now you can ask yourself “why would I buy an iPhone?”
Most people haven’t bought a Windows phone because they’ve never heard of a Windows phone. I’ve never seen one in the wild.
But there’s a reason for that. The few who have bought one obviously haven’t been impressed. Not enough to make any noise about it.
How exactly are they going to port iOS apps without Cocoa Touch and all the other frameworks these apps totally depend on both for development and runtime?
These frameworks are not exactly open source…
Also Apple could do a bit of the good old “DOS ain’t done till Lotus won’t run” tactics.
“Embrace, extend, and exterminate” still?
Extinguish, extinction and embalmment is the new mantra.
Vista Mobile/Metro 8/Zune OS bankrupted almost all Microsoft developers so they have no choice now but to poach iOS programmers.
Speaking of Zune, has anyone seen Zunetang lately? 😂
That’s a great idea. Look how well that worked out for Blackberry being able to run Android applications. Oh, yea.
one of the few smart things I’ve heard out of Redmond in a long time..
And those apps will run on how many phones???? 🖖😀⌚️
“Microsoft will release…” Typical vaporware. Maybe their iOS API crossover will be named “Beer”. I look forward to this news for it’s future entertainment value at MDN.
This vaporware requires Obj-C input? Skating to where the puck was a year ago. Feature disparity with iOS Apps will only increase, revealing W10 and universal apps as anemic derivatives. Satya, I salute you…”for as long as it takes.”
Now if they could just get some stupid lunk to buy their junk.
Paul Thurrott!
Great, Microsoft have come up a second rate version of Rosetta for their crappy phones.
How well is an App like Need For Speed or any other graphics intensive App going to run? What about security? Will Apple introduce code to block Apps running on non official hardware?
So many questions, just a shame nobody except Microsoft is asking them.
Besides M$ employees, who owns a Windoze phone? Is M$ sure they want their employees playing iOS games on their Windoze phones at work? 🖖😀⌚️
Oh man, when I read “Microsoft announce tool” I thought there was a new CEO.
They already have a giant tool covering that role.
I guarantee this will NOT be pretty.
Been there.
Seen that attempted.
Hated the results.
Poor, sad, desperate MS.
Wrong CPU.
Wrong OS.
Wrong hardware.
Faked APIs.
😥 🙅😿
So, Microsoft is saying that developers should write their apps for IOS first?
As far as mobile devices, developers already build for iOS first. So no change there. But now these developers can extend their hard work to more people with minimal work. Developers interested in reaching more people and making money will love this.
If porting a new iOS project to Windows becomes the norm, iOS will eventually have no advange over Windows phones. I really think this is a brilliant move for Microsoft.
PS: They also allow quick porting of Android apps too.
Porting is a lazy way to to create programs and results in poor code that caters to the lowest common denominator.
That is why Steve Jobs and Apple always hated porting from other platforms.
Emphases on the phrase “lazy programing”
“Desperate Microsoft?”
About as desperate as allowing a Mac to run Windows right?
And once ported over, these ported iOS apps become universal apps, which can also run on the Xbox or Hololens. (Does Apple have a gaming console? How about the worlds largest desktop operating system? How about a Holographic computer? I mention these because not only will these ported iOS apps run on Windows Phones and tablets, they’ll run on 3 other platforms that Apple themselves do not have or allow.)
They also now allow the porting of Android apps. Rinse and repeat.
I am thinking, “do I have the effort to reply to this idiot”? Well I just couldn’t resist.
Allowing an OS to be installed on a thing with processor, memory and I/O is entirely a different thing. You do know what an OS is? Do you? A Mac does not run Windows programs. When a Mac is running a Windows program it is actually not a Mac.
Now, a Windows machine is NOT ALLOWED to run Mac OS X. Leaving stupid MS the only option of “porting” each program ONE
BY ONE. Yuk!!!
Let’s hope they’re paying the big royalty bucks to Apple.
I doubt that many MDN readers know of the reference to the “knife” and “MS” connection!
Good comment MDN!
Looks, microsoft is redirecting to right way. And soon iPhone will extinguish