Microsoft details universal app platform coming in Windows 10

Microsoft unveils strategy for developers to build universal apps that run on all Windows 10 devices with different type of inputs.

Microsoft universal app platform

Microsoft shared more details on its universal apps inside the “One Windows” strategy, which will allow developers to finally begin making apps that will work across all devices and with different type of inputs.

On a new article at the Windows Blog, Kevin Gallo, explains that the vision with Windows 10 is to make a unified core of the operating system that enables programmers to write an app and run it everywhere with one set of business logic and one user interface that works on mobile, desktop, console, holographic, and on IoT devices.

Apps built with the new model will be delivered from one unified Windows Store within one package, and developers will be able to target one or all type of devices.

The new app model allows developers to create app features targeting specific form factors. This means that a developer can create a set of features to appear on mobile, but a desktop computer may include additional features suited to the device, while the app will have the same look and feel across devices, something Microsoft calls “Adaptive UX”.

Spartan web browser on different devices demo

Furthermore, the software maker is simplifying how programmers design apps to make it easier to integrate speech with Cortana, inking, gestures, and user gaze, including pushing notification to the new Action Center, on Windows 10 and Windows 10 for phones.

Another interesting feature is that Microsoft will provide a way to package a website into a “web app” using Project Spartan rendering engine, which will also offer access to the set of Universal APIs like notification, calendar, camera, and more.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.