Despite mass adoption rate of Windows 10, developers still tepid on creating apps...

[triageatdawn]

Coupled that with the low percentage of desktop users who spend money on apps or even use apps at all, it does not give developer much incentives. When there is no money, there is no apps. It's as simple as that.

Do you think the arrival of Windows 10 on other devices such as Xbox will make any difference? And what about mobile devices from the Surface line and the ones made by Microsoft's third-party partners? Perhaps those users will have a much greater need for apps. Or so I think.

 

[garak0410]

Despite Windows 10 being adopted at a massive rate, it seems developers are tepid as to the prospect of creating apps. In some cases, existing 8.1 apps are still left rotting while new apps seem few and far between. We're about 3 months since release with over 110 million installs.

What is going to convince developers to look at making Universal Windows Apps?

I know the standard arguments that "why would they, people don't use apps on PC - they have a browser". Heard it, don't need to hear it again.

I want to know what you think will get developers to make apps? What is the catalyst, beyond sheer volume of users? What else can Microsoft do to make them understand an app is superior to web experience?

I think games would be the obvious winner here. Games are a perfect fit for the volume of users and Win10 Store. I cannot for the life of me fathom why Supercell refuses to put Clash of Clans on Win10 - why wouldn't they want to get access to millions of users across PC/Phone/Tablet and ultimately Xbox?

Wow...you pose a difficult question. First up, yes, there are 100 million installs of Windows 10. Nice. But who are these users? I'm installing it at work but we use Office, AutoCAD, Dynamics. The users who use the store are just using it for iHeartRadio and the like.

When I look at the average user now, their phone is their PC. We can't argue that that people want easy and portable. They want apps for this and that and they tend to spend less time on a PC that it was before smartphones took off. They want the apps! There is no denying that...

I will always have a PC myself. My tower is my main media/file server which I access on the go via Plex and OneDrive. I do heavy video editing on it. When I have TIME to play games, I prefer PC gaming. My XBOX One is primarily a Media Center for me. My Surface Pro 3 is really my MAIN PC

I've been a Windows Phone user since "Mobile 6.5"...I have to say, since test driving a Note 5, I've used my PC less and less. I've used both Excel and Word to work on things on the go, used my Stylus to take notes on OneNote, listened to tunes on Groove (though it isn't that great on Android) and used Cortana for reminders. It has been hard to want to go back to the ICON, even if for the better OS. The Android feels more like a PC in my pocket. But also more of a distraction because of more apps. Though decision on which one will be my daily driver for now.

But back on topic, I really think less people care about a PC and more about mobile and being on the go. Microsoft has made good decisions to bring their mobile apps to other platforms...sadly, it doesn't help our beloved Windows Phone and Universal apps as a whole. Maybe I am wrong but by now, I would have thought Astoria and Islandwood would be buzzing big time by now. So tired of WAITING!

 

[Keith Wallace]

I think two things:

1. They might just wait on those compilers for Android and iOS, that's less work on their end.
2. Microsoft seemed to expect devs to be stupid or something. That 110+ million is almost all on PC. The apps are still treated as second-class pieces of software on PC-based Windows 10, in a way. I've only every fired up, like, 3 (Weather, MLB At-Bat, and Xbox). Developers almost certainly realize that a lot of those numbers are padded by groups who aren't using the apps on W10 PCs, they're just tacked on to the experience.

 

[illidanx]

When you say WP8, does it also include WP8.1?

Yes, but only if you are building a WP8.1 Silverlight app, not a WP8.1 app that shares code with W8.1 (aka the old "universal app").

 

[illidanx]

Do you think the arrival of Windows 10 on other devices such as Xbox will make any difference? And what about mobile devices from the Surface line and the ones made by Microsoft's third-party partners? Perhaps those users will have a much greater need for apps. Or so I think.

Xbox could make a difference because there are already a lot of users on xbox but Microsoft has to open the Xbox store for developer submission first. They won't do that until some time in 2016. At the moment no one knows what the requirement of the xbox store is going to be. I think they are going to be much stricter than the regular windows store. Xbox users would benefit the most from games and emulator apps but I'm not sure if the later will be allowed.

I don't think mobile devices from surface line and third-party partners will make a difference unless a lot of people buy them. That is not likely to happen because there are no apps. This is still same chicken-and-egg problem as it has ever been on windows phone.

 

[illidanx]

I think two things:

1. They might just wait on those compilers for Android and iOS, that's less work on their end.
2. Microsoft seemed to expect devs to be stupid or something. That 110+ million is almost all on PC. The apps are still treated as second-class pieces of software on PC-based Windows 10, in a way. I've only every fired up, like, 3 (Weather, MLB At-Bat, and Xbox). Developers almost certainly realize that a lot of those numbers are padded by groups who aren't using the apps on W10 PCs, they're just tacked on to the experience.

I particularly like your 2nd point. It's very true. Developers don't jump to make apps for Windows when 110+ millions are mostly PC. Readers on WC use more apps than regular users but all the people I know never use a single app on their Windows 8, 8.1 and 10 PC.

 

[Krystianpants]

I particularly like your 2nd point. It's very true. Developers don't jump to make apps for Windows when 110+ millions are mostly PC. Readers on WC use more apps than regular users but all the people I know never use a single app on their Windows 8, 8.1 and 10 PC.

I think it's a matter of education. I had a friend who didn't use it or anything. I showed her all about the start menu and the apps in the store and how she can install and pin them and she loves it. Most people install it and expect it to be like Windows 7. When they think of "Store" they don't think of apps nor free apps. They think it's to buy MS stuff. I think it's the people who purchase new computers that will be more likely to use them not the users who have always been downloading apps on the web. Though w32 apps will shrink over time as is MS's goal and will end up in app store.

But really the part is on them to educate. First boot should show tutorials of using the start menu, browsing app store, installing apps. It's really odd that a new operating system wouldn't do this. Just install and use it. And it can work just like Windows 7 so yah people will continue using it the same way.

 

[xkinn]

"why would they, people don't use apps on PC - they have a browser" IS sadly not my problem here.
I'm trying to learn develop Universal Windows Apps with C# and XAML as a base, and sadly there's no full documentation ( e-book, etc. ) on both language that got updated. Even more, I can't even find one worthy book about developing metro apps in WIndows 8.1 ( heck, even 8 ) in my city.

It's kind of sucks that all books nowadays are just following the current trend, not preparing for the future possible trends.
Yes, there's a video guide in Channel9 that guides you to make an app, but sadly it doesn't statisfy me since they don't deep enough ( even on the Expert level ).

 

[elindalyne]

Maybe they'll announce better ad mediation at Ignite in about a month? I hadn't realized the list of networks was so bare until your post Illidan :/

I'd hope that all the providers usable by the Silverlight WP 8 apps would eventually come over to Windows 10 Mobile

 

[Badger Metalous]

For me, some of my apps are designed to go into area's where connection is NOT guaranteed, store and forward the name of the game.

 

[Allan Breum]

Genisys. (from the new Terminator movie)
You'd need an app on that scale to really make people see the potential of universal apps.

Preferably without the genocidal AI.

 

[Citizen X]

I can't think of any "apps" I use on my PC. I just use full blown programs. If I need anything else I go to a company's website. Maybe there are cool PC apps out there that are better than their websites. I just haven't bothered to look. Xbox is interesting. Xbox install base could definitely help with certain apps. But again I don't see people using their TV for social media. No teenager is going to sit in the family living room and use an Xbox controller to text their girlfriend while the whole family wanders in and out of the room. Likewise you aren't going to do banking or use epocrates on your Xbox.

 

[Arunabha Goswami]

Maybe there are cool PC apps out there that are better than their websites. I just haven't bothered to look.

That's the thing - people don't miss what they haven't experienced. Maybe the situation will change, but it'll take time.

 

[Krystianpants]

I can't think of any "apps" I use on my PC. I just use full blown programs. If I need anything else I go to a company's website. Maybe there are cool PC apps out there that are better than their websites. I just haven't bothered to look. Xbox is interesting. Xbox install base could definitely help with certain apps. But again I don't see people using their TV for social media. No teenager is going to sit in the family living room and use an Xbox controller to text their girlfriend while the whole family wanders in and out of the room. Likewise you aren't going to do banking or use epocrates on your Xbox.

But wouldn't someone who wants windows to succeed at least make the effort? If people who want mobile to succeed are not using the desktop app store then yeah mobile will likely go nowhere. Developers will not see the traffic or downloads and abandon the whole universal app model.

 

[midnightfrolic]

Possible the developers are testing the waters a bit and polishing their apps (hopefully).

There's Universal Windows Platform (UWP). There are so many more and different Windows devices (not just Windows Mobile) than there are IOS/Android devices. One mess up and it could cause a huge ruckus. Chipset incompatibilities can cause all kinds of mayhem. Then there's HW/SW optimization. Etc. List goes one. My hope is that they're just polishing their apps.

And M$ needs to add more free permanent OneDrive storage.

EDIT: Those 4K vids and HD selfies are gonna eat up all that storage.

 

[dlxMachine]

"why would they, people don't use apps on PC - they have a browser" IS sadly not my problem here.
I'm trying to learn develop Universal Windows Apps with C# and XAML as a base, and sadly there's no full documentation ( e-book, etc. ) on both language that got updated. Even more, I can't even find one worthy book about developing metro apps in WIndows 8.1 ( heck, even 8 ) in my city.

It's kind of sucks that all books nowadays are just following the current trend, not preparing for the future possible trends.
Yes, there's a video guide in Channel9 that guides you to make an app, but sadly it doesn't statisfy me since they don't deep enough ( even on the Expert level ).

dev.windows.com/en-us and msdn.microsoft.com/en-us should have up-to-date tutorials+api reference. Since windows is still in development, library may get constantly updated with each new SDK for like threshold , redstone version etc. so, books may not be useful or uptodate.

 

[afripino]

"why would they, people don't use apps on PC - they have a browser"

from a mobile device standpoint, you have more hardware access which yields more capability. browsers can't utilize accelerometers, gyros, gps, touch, cameras, and other sensors as well as native apps. browsers just aren't there yet. also, notifications (real-time or action driven) aren't very capable on browsers either. you also can't utilize Cortana functionality into a browser ("eBay.com...bid $25 on a Lumia 950XL")...it just doesn't work like that. But, you can say "Spotify, play _____". no matter how you slice it...apps > browsers. it's science.

 

[mariusmuntean]

As much as you complain about the apps here, on the Apple side the Mac OSX store doe not have many apps in it. Most apps for the OSX are stand alone as on windows and not in the store. Yes there are still much more apps in the osx appstore than in the windows store but devs concentrate on IOS and not the OSX store. Having all xbox,phone and desktop released won't magically bring devs to create apps you miss. If a dev is really interested in windows phone, it would have already created apps while still in beta. LOL Apple watch was not even launched and there were already many apps for it because there was dev interest.

 

[adamyos]

Mail downright sucks (no select all! no selection of items in the list using Shift!),...

Hey! I know this is kinda off-topic, but I just checked selecting multiple mails using the Ctrl key. It works perfectly! I know it's not the same is using Shift+Arrow Up or Down. But, you can press Ctrl and click on the required mails one by one.
Also, if possible, could you please give Microsoft feedback about this issue by upvoting it on their Feedback app? (if you haven't already)

 

[Wietse-0803]

Building a Windows Universal app is useless at the moment. There are no possibilites to obtain huge revenue. It only takes money for the developer or company.
Google Admob is not coming to W10, it also lacks support on Windows Phone 8.1 runtime, so it's over. I asked Google Admob around one year ago, and they haven't planned anything...
That's a substantial reason for me and many other developers to disregard Windows Phone, sad but true. The Microsoft ad mediator is laughable by the way, if you see the advertisers :grin:, it sucks definitely.