Microsoft has decided to try attracting more developers of mobile apps to the upcoming Windows 10 by enabling them to tweak their iOS and Android apps for the new platform. However, Microsoft could still be facing an uphill battle to make its new operating system a hit on smartphones, as many developers apparently remain uninterested in making mobile apps for Windows 10.
Interviews with over a dozen developers have revealed that eight of them have no plans to develop mobile apps for Windows 10. The biggest source of this problem seems to be the very small smartphone market share of Windows phones. Last year, according to the research company IDC, they made up a mere 3% of worldwide smartphones sold, compared to 15% for Apple phones and, well out in the lead, 81% for handsets running Android.
It’s a big catch-22 situation for Microsoft, as many people are deterred from purchasing Windows phones due to the lack of appealing apps compared to the Apple and Android competition, but many developers see insufficient good reason to spend time and money developing mobile apps for a platform that is currently unpopular on smartphones. It remains to be seen how much the new software tools Microsoft has pledged for mobile app developers will change this situation.