Filed under: Multimedia, Portables, Software
Microsoft: how to port iPhone apps to Windows Mobile
With just a few months to go before launching the Windows Marketplace for mobile applications, Microsoft has published details on porting iPhone apps to its Windows Mobile platform. It's a case study of the app Amplitude [App Store link], which lets users hear far-off sounds with ease. It's a detailed writeup that takes readers through the entire process.Microsoft will have quite a task ahead of them in this market, considering Apple's considerable lead and foothold. However, there are many (to say the least) Windows Mobile devices out there as well as people for whom "Windows Mobile" means business.
It will be interesting to see if and how iPhone/iPod touch app developers choose to move their products to Windows Mobile. The Windows Marketplace for mobile applications is expected to drop between September and December of this year, as are Snow Leopard and Windows 7. It's going to be an exciting autumn.
[Via Macworld]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
charliemtorres said 5:48PM on 8-03-2009
I wonder if the port supports the Zune HD? Would this entice more developers to port over? Hmm...
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Brad Green said 1:55AM on 8-05-2009
It just occurred to me that the zunehd is rumored to be running a modified version of windows mobile. MS is setting up to make an app store that not only rivals Apple, but surpasses them due to its lighter restrictions and presumably better navigation.
mare said 6:59PM on 8-03-2009
Telling is that this app has a 100% custom interface. If an app use Apple's drill down UI elements or even convenience Cocoa API calls (what apps don't? Exactly, ported apps from other platforms!) porting will be a lot harder, especially because many developers don't have the ability to make artwork that is usable. And hiring designers is expensive.
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macserv said 11:41PM on 8-03-2009
Exactly. There is no analog to most of the Cocoa Touch frameworks on Windows Mobile, and most WinMo devices simply can't DO at the hardware level what a lot of iPhone apps take for granted as basic device functionality. Porting an app of any complexity will be nigh impossible... it will require a complete rewrite. The same goes for Pre, Android, or Blackberry.
Microsoft would probably advise that, when you begin building your app, you not use any of the frameworks Apple has provided, outside of basic executable functionality, opting instead for custom drawing routines handwritten by the developer, or using only the most basic shared libraries. This negates the rapid app development advantage offered by the iPhone (and Mac OS X, for that matter) over every other API out there. And you'd be going through all this extra effort for what is becoming an ever smaller marginal increase in revenue.
balls said 6:21PM on 8-03-2009
It's true enough, Apple has a large lead, but MSFT's developer tool chain is bar-none the best.
The upside, easy to develop apps. Downside, more crapware.
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Level 5 said 12:57PM on 8-04-2009
You mean, like fart apps? Lawl. But no, seriously; crappy apps will be on every app store, on every platform. And hey, who knew? This has zero to do with Apple, MS, Google, RIM or Nokia! And why not? Because DEVELOPERS write them, and customers BUY them. Crappy apps sell, or they would be quickly discontinued. It's kind of unfortunate, but if people are gonna buy my fart soundboard, I'm going to continue developing it, because it makes me money, and is easy to write.
Even as a WinMo guy, I dunno about MS's SDK being bar-none the best. Good yes, the best? Meh.. it does cost money, whereas the only thing you need for iPhone apps is a Mac (which I hope this changes, no need to shut devs out Apple!).
Brian said 6:26PM on 8-03-2009
With WinMo losing market share why would anybody bother, better to spend the time on Android code. And last time I looked the dev tools were not free.
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Nick said 11:49AM on 8-04-2009
Neither are the iPhone ones, if you're trying to have your app rejected I mean sell it.
Nick said 11:49AM on 8-04-2009
Neither are the iPhone ones, if you're trying to have your app rejected... Er, I mean sell it.
GLacy said 6:44PM on 8-03-2009
And I want to buy a Zune phone because?
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Victor said 7:22PM on 8-03-2009
Good move on Microsofts part. They understand the key to this new smartphone market: apps, apps, apps and more apps. I wouldn't be opposed to owning a windows mobile phone provided I can get one without a data plan, but still have access to decent app library. Problem is that it just doesn't exist.
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mike said 10:19AM on 8-04-2009
how is that different or 'new' from every other platform in existence?
Remember DOS?
Level 5 said 7:29PM on 8-03-2009
I know this is an Apple site, but everytime I read this page, someone glaringly misses the point.
Not everyone wants an iPhone. There, see?
As a WinMo user, I'll be the first to say the iPhone is overall superior in a great many ways. Why don't I have an iPhone? Simply put, AT&T. They're much higher cost, lower data speed, worse voice coverage in Baltimore. Period. No device is worth paying more money, for less service. Period. So people like me might wait for LTE and hope things improve (or the iPhone moves to VZW). People are also on contract with other carriers, and don't want to pay $175+ to bail on their contract. Third, other folks are on Blackberries or whatever corporate device their business gives them. For whatever reason, their managers will not switch to the iPhone. So that means they could A - Stick with what they have, and their company foots the bill, or B - Get an iPhone, and pay for it, only to have worse Exchange support. I think the iPhone is great, but maybe a little less great for business. Third, people like me, just plain old do not want an iPhone. I won't bore you with the details, just know that the positives I find in WinMo outweigh the positives in the iPhone. Just for me, you know.. me personally. And since I'm making the decisions here (and footing the bill), no need for whatever peanut gallery to attempt to change my mind or tell me that WinMo sucks (because for me, it does not). So to make blanket statements like that well.. speaks narrow-mindedly. Sorry buddy, like it or not, there's a market for WinMo apps, hate to burst that bubble.
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Danny said 7:53PM on 8-03-2009
I've found that AT&T coverage (voice and data) is phenomenal in Baltimore, especially the 3G. Much better than other cities I've visited recently...makes me glad to live here!
Kai Cherry said 8:56AM on 8-04-2009
Yeah...what?
I live and work in the Balto Metro Area as well...where is it (besides places where NO ONE gets any signal...and Owings Mills) that you aren't getting a *strong* 3G sig? Certain *inside* Baltimore city?!
-K
andrewh said 10:43AM on 8-04-2009
With the sheer suckedness of the Windows Mobile platform, there won't be a market for their apps for very long, unless Microsoft gets its act together.
Better to be developing for iPhone & Android, and wait to see if Microsoft can pull WinMo out of the crapper.
Level 5 said 12:47PM on 8-04-2009
Danny/Kai
I'll take your experiences with AT&T in stride because those are only half the story. Let's say I did agree with you about AT&T coverage. Would it be worth the extra money? Not for me it wouldn't. It's this same reason I don't have a Fuze on AT&T instead of a Touch Pro on Sprint. Sprint is less expensive than AT&T while providing a similar quality of service. This is a fact. Like I said; for me, quality of carrier first, devices second.
Andrew
I'll take your bait. Let me ask, what was the last WinMo phone you've used? I'm guessing not a recent one. People who have utter disgust with WinMo more often than not haven't even used it for longer than 5 minutes. WM, much like desktop Windows, requires you to customize it to your needs. Many people see this as inferiority, I don't. And like I said, WM is better for ME, not for YOU. Isn't it awesome that TUAW has turned into a "if you're not with us, you're against us" battleground? Yeah, I thought so too. My whole point with the post is that it's good to expand your audience if you're a developer. What if this cross porting was possible with Symbian or Android? Would everyone's panties be in a bunch then too? Say you're a developer, and you have a potential suit customer who LOVES your iPhone app for his or her off-time, but would have an equal amount of use for it on the WinMo device he just got through corporate? You'd have another SALE, that's what.
Think about it.
Hobbes said 8:19PM on 8-03-2009
To me one of the big disadvantages of the WinMo platform is the diverse range of hardware different devices have. My last WinMo device was an HP iPAQ. It was really frustrating that at every new iteration of the OS you needed to actually buy a new PDA that supported it, instead of just being able to upgrade the OS. True, some of the newer devices support 1 or 2 new versions, but soon enough if you want the latest you will have to buy a new device. That's how Microsoft's business model works. It's the same way in the PC arena. Buy new hardware if you want the latest OS.
The iPhone creates a much bigger market by allowing previous generation devices to run the latest and greatest versions of the OS.
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Joseph said 10:22PM on 8-03-2009
so much for multi-touch w/ your thumbs.
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kmcgrady90 said 4:54AM on 8-04-2009
I was actually in the process of signing up to develop for Windows Mobile a few weeks ago before I noticed that you cannot develop for it using the Visual Express tools. In otherwards, as well as paying the sign up fee, and the fee for each app you want to sell, you have to spend a lot of money on the full versions of Visual Studio! No way I'm going to pay for the dev tools when I don't even know how committed I will be to the platform. Think I'll stick with developing iPhone apps for now on my FREE Xcode development environment. Another fail for M$
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