Microsoft is accelerating its collaboration with cross-platform developers, aiming to bring more applications to Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8.
This partnership involves Corona Labs, whose primary project currently focuses on providing a software development kit (SDK) for cross-platform 2D applications. Corona states that globally, 300,000 developers are using their SDK solution, allowing them to develop apps for iOS, Android, Kindle, and Nook by simply porting the base code.
Corona plans to release an SDK solution for WP8 in the first quarter of next year, and support for Windows 8 will follow shortly after the launch of the WP8 SDK solution.
Prior to this, Microsoft has already established cooperative relationships with many intermediate developers similar to Corona, including Unity, Marmalade, and Havok, hoping that their cross-platform solutions can also serve Windows Phone.
The main customer base for Corona currently consists of game developers. A spokesperson for Corona told ZDNet that approximately 70% of their corporate users are developing games, while the remaining 30% focus on business, tools, and e-books. In the Windows Phone ecosystem, about one-third of app downloads and 60% of app revenue are contributed by games.
David Rangel, COO of Corona Labs, said that developers using their provided SDK solution to develop apps for WP8 and Windows 8 can retain 95% of their code. Regarding the conversion of application code between WP8 and Windows 8, Rangel said it is nearly 100%.
Windows Phone currently has 175,000 apps, and Windows 8 has over 100,000 apps. The combined total number of apps from both stores will approach 200,000, and future SDK solutions like those from Corona will make app porting more convenient—if Microsoft can ultimately achieve this.
The featured image comes from Winsource.