This morning Microsoft finally that the Windows Phone 8 SDK is now available for developers. During the Build conference keynote, Microsoft pitched developers to start building apps for Windows Phone now. One of the biggest criticisms has been the lack of apps, but Microsoft is really trying to leverage Windows customers.
Steve Ballmer says, those who want the best mobile experience that works with Windows, will own a Windows Phone. The common styling certainly does have its benefits, being a familiar experience across devices. Something that currently doesn’t exist is the ability to purchase an app on one platform and have it available on the other. Apple has been doing their + apps for years now that mean some apps are buy once and run on iPhone and iPad.
One interesting noteworthy part of the SDK release is that if you’re developing a Windows 8 app, you’ll need a Core i3 processor or above. The simulator does work if you set your project to 7.1, so anyone with older machines will be out of luck. Of course you can develop directly to a device, but given Windows Phone 8 devices aren’t shipping yet, you’re out of luck there too.
You can visit http://dev.windowsphone.com/ to download the Windows Phone 8 SDK.