Microsoft attempts to lure iOS developers with new API mapping tool

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) has somewhat of an app problem. Windows Phone 7 development is not as prolific as that of the major competing operating systems like Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) iOS and Google Inc.’s (GOOG) Android, but it is relatively newer as well.
To help widen the pool of developer talent that could bring more apps to Windows Phone 7 users, Microsoft has put together a new iOS to Windows Phone 7 API mapping tool and a guide for iPhone app developers to follow.
In a blog post, Microsoft’s senior technical evangelist Jean-Christophe Cimetiere encouraged developers to be open to other coding languages. “Jumping from one platform or language to another can introduce breaking changes in your habits, but ultimately change is very stimulating and will expand your opportunities,” he wrote.
The new developer package from Microsoft includes the iPhone/iOS to Windows Phone 7 API mapping tool. “Think of the API mapping tool as being like a translation dictionary,” Cimetiere wrote.
The tool picks out iOS API calls and looks up the equivalent classes, methods and notification events in Windows Phone 7. The resulting code samples gives developers the ability to migrate short sections of code to the equivalent C# code.
Microsoft plans to map out more iOS APIs soon and is also planning to provide similar guides and tools for Android.