Are you a true mobile developer? Do you develop apps for all platforms iOS, Windows Phone, Android or the web?
This week I had a very interesting meeting with Kim Blake from UKIE. Kim is a Next Gen Skills Talent Development Coordinator, and part of her role is to simply understand and explain the skills educators and game developers need to ensure that the maximise their potentials.
So we got into the discussion of a mobile developer today... The simply fact is, if your a real mobile developer you develop apps for all platforms iOS, Windows Phone, Android and the web?.
We then got into the discussions of how app development skills are truly transferable skills. For example to be a successful app developer you need to competent in the following areas.
1. Finance - How to monetize your app? Freemium, IAP, Paid, Subs Based..
2. Marketing - How to promote and market your app? Branding, Apps store advert and description
3. Social - How to influence your customers and channels? Twitter, Facebook, linkedin and blogs
4. Development - How to build an app effectively? Code portability, code reuse and cloud services.
So where do you get started building apps for Windows 8
With Windows 8 you can take your existing app development skills and start applying them to developing great apps.
Why should you build apps for Windows 8
Here are just a few of the benefits:
- Target millions more devices and users for your apps. You can code once and have a great app experience that scales across millions of devices from tablets to all-in-one PCs, from 10" to 27" screen sizes.
- Choose from several supported programming languages, technologies, and standards—some of which you may already know. Windows 8 lets you build Windows Store apps using a variety of programming languages. You can program your apps using C#, C++, or Microsoft Visual Basic, while using Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML) to declaratively describe the user interface. Or you can build apps using web technologies like HTML5, Cascading Style Sheets, Level 3 (CSS3), and JavaScript. Developers looking for the best possible performance on Windows 8 can use Microsoft DirectX with C++.
Resources
The info throughout this section is intended for developers who are creating apps for platforms like iOS, Windows Phone, Android, or the web, and who want to create similar Windows Store apps for Windows 8. To learn more, click one of the links in the preceding section.
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
Apply your existing iOS app development skills toward developing great apps for Windows 8. |
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Apply your existing Windows Phone app development skills toward developing great apps for Windows 8. |
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Apply your existing Android app development skills toward developing great apps for Windows 8. |
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Apply your existing web development skills toward developing great apps for Windows 8. |
Run-time requirements
To successfully start creating Windows Store apps, you'll need the following at a minimum:
- A Windows Store developer account. To get one, go to the Windows Store Dashboard and follow the on-screen directions. for students see www.dreamspark.com
- Windows 8 and Microsoft Visual Studio Express 2012 for Windows 8. To get them, see Get the tools or as a student get the professional versions for free via https://www.dreamspark.com
- A developer license for Windows 8. To get one, see Get a developer license.
Related topics
For everyone
Windows Store app development: the basics
Windows 8 Product Guide for Developers
For developers
Develop Windows Store apps using Visual Studio 2012
For designers and developers
Download design assets for Windows Store apps
For Students
Follow the Student resources guide