Microsoft releases iOS to WP7 porting tool, welcomes iOS app devs

It appears that Microsoft is getting more and more serious about its Windows Phone 7 platform, guys. The software giant’s mobile OS has been subject to a lot of criticism due to its lack of available applications. Now, it looks like things are about to change as the company released an iOS to WP7 mapping tool for app developers.

According to Microsoft, the mapping tool’s main purpose is to help “developers find their way around when they discover the Windows Phone platform,”. There is also a 90 page “Windows Phone 7 Guide for iPhone Application Developers” book to assist the software engineers in the process. A video series of developers’ stories about their experiences of porting apps from iOS to WP7 on the Windows Phone Blog should also help the prospective participants in the process.

This is definitely a big deal for all the fans of Windows Phone 7 (as few as they might be). In our last encounter with WP7, we duly noted that while Microsoft’s latest mobile UI is pleasant to look at and smooth to navigate, it is still immature. A lot of the initial shortcomings have been fixed through official updates since then, but the most important one (the lack of an appropriate number of apps) is still present. Microsoft has definitely taken a step in the right direction with the release of the mapping tool. Now, all that’s left to see, is how long will it take for the results of this act to come into being.

What do you think? Will the number of WP7 apps increase significantly now that the iOS to WP7 mapping tools is out there? Tell us in the comments section below.

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