Microsoft needs Windows developers like never before

The last time Microsoft really needed Windows developers was when it asked them to create a new type of app that could work on phones, PCs, tablets, Xbox consoles, and headsets like the HoloLens. It was all part of a larger effort to transform Windows with a new interface for touch apps designed to rival the iPad.

It failed miserably. Developers didn’t move to Universal Windows apps, and Microsoft ended up abandoning its touch-friendly user interface in favor of a more traditional desktop in Windows 10. The cross-platform dream of the Windows 8 era didn’t last long.

Now Microsoft is trying something new and needs help from developers again. It is adding AI models and tools directly to Windows for this first generation of Copilot Plus PCs – laptops that have powerful neural processing unit (NPU) chips to accelerate AI tasks. I wrote about how these new laptops will compete with the MacBook Air, transition Windows to Arm-powered chips, and set up Windows for an AI era. The big selling points are better battery life, better performance, and the promise of AI features in Windows and the apps you use every day.

But for all of this to work, Microsoft needs developers to repurpose their apps — and get people excited about using Windows.

AI was the talk of Microsoft Build, coming out of every speaker’s mouth and plastered on billboard after billboard across Microsoft’s campus. There was…