BlueStacks’ app player will bring Android apps into Windows 8,
enabling more than 400,000 apps to run on Microsoft’s Windows OS.
The start-up showcased a functional demo that featured Android
apps appearing almost indistinguishable from Windows-based apps
in the Metro interface.
BlueStacks’ app player may help Microsoft clear one of the biggest
obstacles to its fledgling platform: the lack of available apps.
“The Metro UI is beautiful, but the number one thing Windows 8
is missing is apps,” said BlueStacks CEO Rosen Sharma in a
statement today. “This changes all that.”
BlueStacks’ app player emulates Android apps on Windows, and
supports both traditional desktop and tablet interfaces. The
Campbell, Calif.-based company’s ability to transform Android
apps for Windows 8 easily may end Microsoft’s urgency to create
thousands of apps for Windows 8, expected to launch later this year.
If successful, the technology will bring a huge amount of apps to the
Windows platform, giving it a leg up in a competitive market.
Bluestacks may be betting on Windows 8′s ability to grab a large
share of the mobile market, which would be a boon for the company
itself. Still, some call the start-up’s plans lofty for a company that
doesn’t yet have a stable version of its product on the market.
For its part, Microsoft may applaud the development, but at the
same time work hard to make sure it doesn’t discourage other
developers from making apps directly for its platform.
BlueStacks debuted the software last year and released a version
for Windows 7, but this latest news hints at bigger mobile ambitions.
In addition to the demo, the company mentioned discussions to
have its app player software preloaded on new PCs in addition to
exploring agreements with several unnamed hardware manufacturers
to ship the program, pre-installed on their devices.
The company is also reportedly targeting Windows 8 Ultrabook
manufacturers to pre-load its Android app player, and it has already
landed a deal with Taiwanese manufacturer InHon. Finally, Bluestacks’
Sharma said a version for Mac fans is also in the works.
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