Microsoft Builds Android App Store For Its Own Android Apps Inside Of The Android App Store

Microsoft has a new app out called ‘Microsoft Apps‘ on Android that contains a list of its Android apps that you can download on the Android app store.

There are two parts to this development. The first is that Microsoft’s cross-platform work continues, and that the company has yet to let up an inch on its work to bring its software and services to users on every rival operating system. And, the second point is that Microsoft has created an effective Android app store — catalog? — inside of the actual Android app store.

An early comment noted that fact. From the app’s page on Google Play:

That comment is almost correct. At the same time, it can be difficult to sort through tens, and hundreds of thousands of apps to find the precise one that you are perhaps looking for. Microsoft wants to make sure that if you want to use its stack on Android, you can do so without unnecessary sleuthing.

The app has racked up four review so far, giving it an average score of 4 stars.

The new app might not make sense until you realize just how many apps Microsoft has on Android — you can take a spin through the full list here. It’s extensive. It’s almost odd to recall how big a splash bringing Office to Android and iOS once was.

Microsoft fans have a new toy, and the company has a potential conduit for its apps on the Android platform. Not too bad a turn of events for the Redmond-based software company.

Apple Is Reportedly Developing Its Own, Energy-Efficient Screens For iPhone And iPad

Apple is reported to be working on its own display technology in a move that could lessen its dependence on third-party suppliers like Samsung and Sharp, and boost the battery life of its products.

Bloomberg reports that the U.S. company, which is unique for designing its own chipsfor its smartphones, is said to have opened its own secretive facility in Taiwan where it is working on screens for iPhones, iPads and other devices. (The company is advertisingfor positions at the plant.)

That could mean good news for customers who worry about the battery life of their devices. Screens tend to use a significant amount of power, but sources from the new Apple facility reportedly told Bloomberg that Apple is working to make its screens “thinner, lighter, brighter and more energy-efficient” — that means less battery strain. Indeed, those sources suggested that Apple is looking to switch to organic LEDs, which could massively save on power consumption.

You may have to wait a while for the benefits to be seen in your daily life and devices, but it appears that things are moving in the right direction at a quicker pace.

Surface Vs. iPad Battle Gets Competitive As Microsoft Outsells Apple

Thanks to its iPad family, Apple has been comfortably at number one in the ‘Top Brands’ chart for US tablet sales throughout 2015. At least it was until October, when Microsoft’s sales of the Surface devices spiked and pushed Cupertino’s slabs down to second place.

The research on sales figures comes from 1010data Ecom Insights Panel (via WinBeta) and suggests that Apple’s iPad was not the top-selling tablet brand online in October 2015. While it has been on top for the first nine months of the year in terms of online sales, Microsoft took over in month ten with a 45 percent share of online sales, compared to Apple’s 17 percent.

Apple is in the historically unusual role of playing the establishment figure, with Microsoft casting the Surface brand as the scrappy underdog.

Yes, Microsoft is coming from along way back, which means growth in percentage terms will always look far better than that of any incumbent player. October was also the month when the Surface Pro 4 and the Surface Book went on sale, generating more heat in the sales than previous months. But the Surface trend has generally been upwards, running close to Apple in August and September.

It remains to be seen if the new hardware release numbers are simply a spike from sales to the geekerati and will be exceeded by the expected Apple spike in November thanks to the iPad Pro, or whether the trend will continue. If the latter, Microsoft can look forward to reaching double-figures in the annualised market share on the strength of a strong calendar quarter to close out the year.

There are two things that do stand out to me. The first is that Microsoft is capturing the ‘underdog’ story arc very nicely. No matter that the Surface devices started with Windows 8, have been through multiple iterations, and are only now reaching maturity, the story that the public is taking in is one where Microsoft is back and not only challenging Apple but gathering strategic wins against Cupertino.

The Surface devices, because of their higher price points, are contributing to a much higher ‘average retail price’ of $844, compared to the iPad’s average of $392. Again, there are a number of mitigating circumstances, primarily the lack of ‘budget’ Surface devices and a Surface Mini with a seven-inch screen, but the story that Microsoft is delivering with the Surface is one of desirable hardware, luxury prices that are worth paying, and an exclusive (almost secret) club that you have the privilege of joining.

It’s as if Redmond has been studying the Apple playbook from the first decade of the twenty-first century. And that worked out rather nicely for Apple…