Microsoft’s push to app parity for mobile software continues as the company is asking iOS developers to submit apps to its Project Islandwood iOS porting tool. For some Microsoft observers, Project Islandwood’s name shines as a sliver of light in an otherwise dismally dark world for the Windows 10 Mobile platform and Windows 10 on PCs to a lesser degree. Project Islandwood is the code name of a Windows 10 Bridging tool that enables iOS-specific developers to port over a majority their app codes designed for iPhones and iPads to Windows 10 powered devices.
“We want to make it as easy as possible to get started with Windows Bridge for iOS. In the coming weeks, we’ll be launching a web tool that will automatically analyze your app for compatibility with the bridge and give you results right in your browser. You’ll be able to see exactly how much work you’ll have to do to bring your app to Windows, along with suggestions, tips and workarounds for any libraries you’re using that the bridge doesn’t support yet.”
Continuing to promote cross-platform development, Microsoft is planning on releasing a web-based analytical tool that will evaluate iOS apps and their ability to be ported to the Windows 10 ecosystem. Microsoft is asking iOS app developers, specifically, to submit their IPA files to the tool so that Project Islandwood can eventually produce iOS apps on Windows 10.
During Microsoft’s developer conference last year, the company championed several bridging tools. Of the porting tools announced at Build 2015, Project Islandwood or the iOS bridge for Windows 10 seems to be the one with the most steam behind it at the moment. Microsoft’s focus on bringing over the million plus apps from the iOS ecosystem makes sense as it positions Windows 10 as a genuine cross-platform experience.
