Google: No Plans to Build Windows 8 Apps

Owners of devices running Windows 8 will be disappointed to learn that Google will not be investing any more resources into building apps for that operating system or for Windows Phone 8 -- at least not for the time being.

In a recent interview with the British technology-based publication V3, Google Apps product management director Clay Bavor made it clear his company has no plans to build any more apps for Windows.

Bavor says Google is "very careful about what (they) invest and will continue to go where the users are." According to Bavor, Google's users "are not on Windows Phone or Windows 8." (Source: cnet.com)

Popular Google Apps Not Available

Among the apps Windows 8 owners are set to miss out on:

• Google Drive, a file storage and synchronization service;
   
• Google Calendar, a time-management web application;
   
• Google Docs, a free, web-based office suite;
   
• Sheets, used for creating spreadsheets;
   
• Slides, used for creating presentation materials.

In addition to these apps, Google's highly popular Gmail service will not be coming to Windows 8 devices. Gmail is a free, advertising-supported email service that has in excess of 425 million active users worldwide.

Google has already released a standard search app for Windows 8, which will likely still be offered through the Windows Store.

Google says it made its decision to stop building apps for Windows 8 for purely financial reasons. As Bavor stated later in the same interview, "If the tides of interest turn, then Google Apps is willing to adapt."

iOS and Android Development in 2013

Rather than work on more Windows apps, Google plans to focus its resources on improving its iOS and Android offerings.

Said Bavor, "In 2012 we've laid some of the ground work and really improved the experience of our core apps on mobile devices. We really see these as the first versions of our mobile experience, though, so we will continue to make big investments in mobile in 2013 with the goal of having beautiful mobile apps." (Source: techradar.com)