Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella (pictured) appeared to take a potshot at Apple by pledging to create a more open apps platform, as the company unveiled its latest Windows 11 operating system which will include access to Android services.

In a virtual event, Microsoft said Android apps will run natively on Windows 11 and will be downloadable from Amazon’s App Store, included in a new Windows Store embedded into the OS.

Microsoft added it partnered with Intel to use its Intel Bridge Technology to run Android apps on its devices, as the company attempts to compete with Apple, which is working on running iOS apps on macOS.

Open platform
However, in a move to shake-up the apps market, Microsoft said it would also allow third party app developers the right to choose alternative payment systems, theoretically bypassing the company’s 15 per cent fee and not being forced to share any revenue.

Apple, in particular, has faced criticism over how developers can make money through its app stores, as the company takes a 30 per cent cut on all follow-on sales such as subscriptions or in-game purchases.

It has since cut this to 15 per cent for smaller developers with annual revenues below $1 billion.

Developers have also taken issue with the fact Apple restricts them from providing links to other apps.

Microsoft itself was a victim of this, after Apple restricted it from operating an app which gave people access to play XBox cloud-based games on iOS.

Nadella stated Microsoft was working to create a “platform for platform creators”, and Windows had always stood “for sovereignty for creators and agency for consumers”.

“Today the world needs a more open platform, one that allows apps to become platforms in their own right,” he added.