App developers will be getting something new from Microsoft when the company releases Windows 10 according to news coming out of Build 2015, the Microsoft developers conference. The operating system designed to work on PCs, Phones, and Tablets, will be open to almost all developers including some that worked on Android and iOS when it is released later this year. The Microsoft store currently contains near 585,000 apps which is about half of what Google and Apple offer in their stores. So new apps are greatly needed to keep their products useful and competitive.

The company has developed a platform called the Universal Windows Platform Bridge which allows a developer to create and app one time and have it work across all of Microsoft’s devices including XBox. The platform also provides an easy way for apps developed for iOS or Android to be brought over to the Microsoft store easily.

Also to encourage wide spread use, PCs running Windows 7 or newer will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 for free when it becomes available. Along with the new operating look for a new revamped browser called Microsoft Edge, which the company hopes can become more competitive with Chrome than Internet Explorer has been. All this is a major shift in philosophy for the tech giant.

Build 2015: Keynote Highlights