Windows 8 may just be a few weeks away from moving into its Release to Manufacturing (RTM) stage, with speculation increasing that the final shipping build of the operating system could be ready by mid-to-late July. That also means Windows 8 app developers will be working to finalize their apps for the launch of Windows 8, which could happen as early as October.
In the newest post on the official Windows 8 developer blog, Microsoft gives some more information on how it has taken feedback from Windows 8 Metro app developers. The process started with the release of the Developer Preview of Windows 8 in September 2011. Microsoft states: "Many developers got right to work building Metro style apps, produced some impressive early results, and provided us with useful feedback and recommendations about how to improve the platform and tools."
Updated versions of the Developer Preview build were provided to app creators in January and February so they could prepare for the launch of the Windows Store and the Consumer Preview of Windows 8 in late February. By that time, Microsoft said that it had introduced almost 1,000 WinRT APIs, along with changes for hundreds more. Microsoft added 334 more APIs by the time of the Release Preview of Windows 8 in late May.
Microsoft also made improvements to Windows 8 app developer tools during this time. The blog post said, "We even added a new template that makes it easier for developers to start a new project and get a great app up and running in very little time."
App creators will continue to improve their software when they get the Windows 8 RTM version. Microsoft says, "There are also many more apps in development that haven’t been released to the Store yet. Many of those developers are waiting for RTM to put the finishing touches on their apps."
Source: Windows 8 developer blog
