Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

peterpan123

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 24, 2014
275
12
Hello, many apps have IOS and/or Android versions. I have never seen apps for Windows 10 tablet. How does it work on the Surface Pro series? I often hear that for the same app, the IOS version is better. How about the quality and quality of apps for Windows 10 tablets? Are they better than the IOS and Android counterparts?
 

FX120

macrumors 65816
May 18, 2007
1,173
235
Surface Pro's run full blow versions of Windows, so any app developed in the last 15+ years will run on it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Billy95Tech

spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
11,488
5,413
Create a free Microsoft account and browse their app store on your PC. It will give you a good idea what is available, and you can read reviews and look at screenshots. The vast majority of what you find on iOS and Android can be replicated on windows, but many times not on apps but on full desktop programs. This is less of an issue with w windows 10 because the scaling it uses is quite nice, really making things like menus, closing windows, etc much better than on previous windows versions on tablets.

If you post a list of apps you need I'm sure some of us can give you some feedback on what we've used and what works.

Also just to spice it up, Microsoft is working on ways to run android and iOS apps on windows PCs. Additionally there are several emulators which allow you to run any Android app inside a wrapper, although they run a bit slower.
 

Billy95Tech

Suspended
Apr 18, 2014
540
61
Also just to spice it up, Microsoft is working on ways to run android and iOS apps on windows PCs.

Really?? How did you find out that? How long will it happen??!!

If that's true that it will be a big boost for Microsoft in terms of apps that are touch friendly and in the tablet market with Apple and Google/Samsung because right now on Windows they don't have many programs that are touch friendly as you are required to use a mouse with some programs like Windows Movie Maker(which i use to make my Youtube videos).

Microsoft really really need to get some more apps that are touch friendly for Windows tablets and hybrids!!
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
Really?? How did you find out that? How long will it happen??!!

MS Mentioned it in their BUILD conference back last summer

. How does it work on the Surface Pro series?
The Surface Pro computer line is a full blown computer running the full version of Windows. I use my SP3, to run Photoshop, Lightroom, MS Office, RDP, iTunes, GotomyPC, etc, etc.
 
  • Like
Reactions: three

sracer

macrumors G4
Apr 9, 2010
10,405
13,290
where hip is spoken
Really?? How did you find out that? How long will it happen??!!

If that's true that it will be a big boost for Microsoft in terms of apps that are touch friendly and in the tablet market with Apple and Google/Samsung because right now on Windows they don't have many programs that are touch friendly as you are required to use a mouse with some programs like Windows Movie Maker(which i use to make my Youtube videos).

Microsoft really really need to get some more apps that are touch friendly for Windows tablets and hybrids!!
Technically speaking, Microsoft is releasing tools for developers to assist them in porting their Android and iOS apps over to Windows. That is different than being able to take an Android .apk file and having it run as-is on Windows.
 

spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
11,488
5,413
Technically speaking, Microsoft is releasing tools for developers to assist them in porting their Android and iOS apps over to Windows. That is different than being able to take an Android .apk file and having it run as-is on Windows.

The ability to run Android apps on the windows platform has been around for a while, but is something separate from what MS is doing. Bluestacks is one of the more popular Android emulators, but there are a bunch of them. Of course this is on tablets, not on phones.

What "Windows Bridge for Android" will do is make it trivial to port an android app to WM, porting isn't even the right word since the Android app binaries would remain the same. It's basically just a wrapper to connect to the MS services. It will be a complete no brainer for android app developers, allowing them to reach millions of more users with Windows established consumer base.

But like everything else, all we have are rumors and no finished product.
 
Last edited:

sracer

macrumors G4
Apr 9, 2010
10,405
13,290
where hip is spoken
The ability to run Android apps on the windows platform has been around for a while, but is something separate from what MS is doing. Bluestacks is one of the more popular Android emulators, but there are a bunch of them. Of course this is on tablets, not on phones.

What "Windows Bridge for Android" will do is make it trivial to port an android app to WM, porting isn't even the right word since the Android app binaries would remain the same. It's basically just a wrapper to connect to the MS services. It will be a complete no brainer for android app developers, allowing them to reach millions of more users with Windows established consumer base.

But like everything else, all we have are rumors and no finished product.
Bluestacks and other emulators are NOT ideal nor are often acceptable alternatives to native apps. These Android apps running within the emulator are often isolated from the rest of the system.

As for Astoria (Windows Bridge for Android), Microsoft's framework for converting Android app source code to Windows code has never materialized beyond a proof of concept. It is now being reported in various places that the project has stalled, having run into significant hurdles, and may actually be mothballed.

This is typical of Microsoft. Showcase proof-of-concepts (or even less tangible technologies) and play them up as part of their classic FUD machine. These are then used as "proof" for the future viability and future vibrancy of their offerings.

Remember Joe Belfiore demoing a Lumia that appeared to morph into a desktop running Windows? Turns out reality is going to fall far short of that demo.

When these things fall short of what was presented (or never appear at all) Microsoft isn't taken task for it, they're simply forgotten in the dustbin of tech history.

Yo Panay, I'm still waiting to see all of those custom blades you were talking about 2 years ago. :rolleyes:
 

spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
11,488
5,413
Bluestacks and other emulators are NOT ideal nor are often acceptable alternatives to native apps. These Android apps running within the emulator are often isolated from the rest of the system.

As for Astoria (Windows Bridge for Android), Microsoft's framework for converting Android app source code to Windows code has never materialized beyond a proof of concept. It is now being reported in various places that the project has stalled, having run into significant hurdles, and may actually be mothballed.

This is typical of Microsoft. Showcase proof-of-concepts (or even less tangible technologies) and play them up as part of their classic FUD machine. These are then used as "proof" for the future viability and future vibrancy of their offerings.

Remember Joe Belfiore demoing a Lumia that appeared to morph into a desktop running Windows? Turns out reality is going to fall far short of that demo.

When these things fall short of what was presented (or never appear at all) Microsoft isn't taken task for it, they're simply forgotten in the dustbin of tech history.

Yo Panay, I'm still waiting to see all of those custom blades you were talking about 2 years ago. :rolleyes:

Tell me about it, between Continuum being only for universal apps and now Astoria possibly being cancelled I'm very disappointed in MS. Don't get me wrong, the surface pro beats the pants out of anything out there and you won't pry mine out of my dead cold hands. I also think Continuum is on the right track at least, although even as a MS loyalist I'm not ready to buy a windows phone yet. If Astoria and Continuum were as promised I'd be first in line to get a windows phone. Honestly windows phone is truly doomed IMO.
 

j26

macrumors 68000
Mar 30, 2005
1,754
726
Paddyland
Tell me about it, between Continuum being only for universal apps and now Astoria possibly being cancelled I'm very disappointed in MS. Don't get me wrong, the surface pro beats the pants out of anything out there and you won't pry mine out of my dead cold hands. I also think Continuum is on the right track at least, although even as a MS loyalist I'm not ready to buy a windows phone yet. If Astoria and Continuum were as promised I'd be first in line to get a windows phone. Honestly windows phone is truly doomed IMO.
I was reading somewhere that while Astoria is being mothballed, the iOS bridge is continuing apace. Since most major developers develop for both Android and iOS, it kinda makes sense to focus on getting one right, rather than having two half baked solutions

I meant mobile apps for the Surface Pro series when they are in tablet mode.
Desktop apps will run in tablet mode.Unfortunately they may not be optimised for touch yet....
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Robstevo

macrumors 6502
Jun 7, 2014
472
722
When I had my surface pro 3 I downloaded an android emulator as well so had access to all android apps which was pretty cool :)
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.