14 DAY TRIAL // Rumors are swirling around that Microsoft is working on some very exciting improvements for the Windows platform, some of which could allow users to run Android apps on their PCs.
But some recently-leaked photos reveal that Redmond is also working on a so-called Universal Store concept that would include applications designed to work on both Windows and Windows Phone.
The idea isn’t new and Microsoft was rumored to be pondering such an option a long time ago, but it turns out that the first developments of such a project are now ready to get the green light.
Pictures posted by Twitter user AngelWZR show two different slides allegedly belonging to Microsoft and pointing to Universal Store apps, as “developers can create a single app that targets Windows Phone and Windows.”
The project would come down to “two Visual Studio UI projects,” as one of the slides reads, specifically created for smartphones and tablets, but also a so-called shared template that would allow the app to run on both platforms.
At the same time, the second slides indicates that 80 percent of the XAML created by apps can be the same in both apps, while only 20 percent of the code could be different in order to adjust special parameters to work on different devices.
Microsoft’s efforts to bring more apps in the Windows Store are also said to include the Android platform, as Redmond is reportedly working to bring programs developed for this mobile platform right on Windows PCs.
This is already possible with the help of some third-party applications, but support for Android is still limited on Windows, so the software giant is pondering a much more ambitious plan that would bring Android apps right in the Windows Store and available to all users.
The company is yet to comment on all these reports, so until Microsoft says something official, let’s take everything with a pinch of salt.