For Microsoft to grow it desperately needs Windows 10 to succeed on devices other than PCs. However here Microsoft struggles, since it long eschewed its “channel suppliers,” who create vertical market applications, as it relied on OEM box sales for revenue growth. Microsoft did little to spur app development, and rather wanted its developers to focus on installing standard PC units with minor tweaks to fit vertical needs.
Currently Apple and Google have both built extremely large, profitable developer networks. Hence iOS offers 1.5M apps, and Google offers 1.6M. Nevertheless Microsoft only has 500K apps largely since it entered the world of mobile too late, and without a commitment to success as it tried to defend and extend the PC. Even worse, Microsoft has quietly delayed Project Astoria which was to offer tools for easily porting Android apps into the Windows 10 market, thus making it harder for developers to “add on” the Windows 10 platform for their iOS or Android apps.
Microsoft realized it needed more mobile developers all the way back in 2013 when it began offering bonuses of $100,000 and more to developers who would write for Windows. Nonetheless that had little success as developers were more keen to achieve long-term sales by building apps for all those iOS and Android devices then outselling PCs. Today the situation is only exacerbated.
