When considering what operating system to build an app for, most people discuss only Android and iOS. There is a third choice, however—Windows. Though there are only 50 million Windows phone users in the US (while this is less than 2% of the total population, it is still a statistically significant number). And because few developers are building apps for this platform, you will face relatively little competition. Here’s why you should develop apps for Windows phones:
1. Smaller Pond. Anyone who owns a Windows phone will tell you that there is a lack of useful apps. While some developers have started to realize that it isn’t that hard to develop the same apps for all three operating systems, there are still far fewer apps available for Windows than for Android or iOS. This smaller pond makes it much easier to be noticed.
2. Easy Promotion. Because Windows phone users are a small but fiercely dedicated section of the population, they are more than willing to hock great new apps for you. It’s easy to market to them and it’s easy to get them to do your marketing and evangelizing for you. And again, because the entire pool of apps is smaller, there is less noise that you have to beat out in order to get on top.
3. Streamlined platform. What Windows users love about the platform is how smooth, easy, and intuitive it is to use. This makes intuitive, fun apps much more at home on this operating system than on bulky operating systems or those with a more controlled environment. Instead of getting in the way of the app, the OS sits back and lets the app do its thing, uninhibited.
4. Inexpensive and easy. Especially if you’ve already made apps for Android and/or iOS, developing an app for windows phone is easy. While you cannot simply be able to just reuse all of the same code, translating an app that is already functional on one operating system into an app that is functional on another one, i.e. porting, is far easier and less expensive than building a brand new app from scratch. Plus, Windows provides lots of tools and advice on how to do either—translate an existing app or build one from scratch for their OS.
