Microsoft plans to launch its integrated developer environment Visual Studio for the Mac later this week, turning its cloud-first development program into a cross-platform experience that developers can use on both Mac and Windows. Although the official press release has since been deleted, TechCrunch spotted the news and noted that the launch of Visual Studio on the Mac is expected to happen during the Connect() conference this week.

visual-studio-for-mac
Visual Studio for Mac will allow developers to create Windows apps on Apple's macOS platform, with the use of cloud platforms like Microsoft's Azure and Amazon Web Services to keep work stored across devices. Microsoft called Visual Studio for Mac a "counterpart" to its Windows version, and said that any Windows user "should feel right at home."

At its heart, Visual Studio for Mac is a macOS counterpart of the Windows version of Visual Studio. If you enjoy the Visual Studio development experience, but need or want to use macOS, you should feel right at home. Its UX is inspired by Visual Studio, yet designed to look and feel like a native citizen of macOS. And like Visual Studio for Windows, it’s complemented by Visual Studio Code for times when you don’t need a full IDE, but want a lightweight yet rich standalone source editor.

Visual Studio on the Mac is said to run Microsoft's .NET software framework and include the programming language of C#. The Microsoft Connect() 2016 developer conference is set to run later this week, from November 16-18, so an official announcement from Microsoft about Visual Studio on the Mac is likely to happen sometime during the event.

Top Rated Comments

thisisnotmyname Avatar
108 months ago
This is very cool. VS was one of those few areas where the Mac native options just weren't as good. I know people have their favorite IDEs but MS really did do a fantastic job on VS.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Elbon Avatar
108 months ago
"Visual Studio for Mac will allow developers to create Windows apps on Apple's macOS platform"

I'm not sure why I'd want to do that. I might be interested in using .NET to build Mac apps, but if I need to build Windows apps, I'd probably just get a Windows machine (just like I'd get a Mac to build Mac or iOS apps).

"any Windows user 'should feel right at home.'"

Seems like they should have been aiming to make Mac users feel "right at home", since Windows users would presumably just use the Windows version of Visual Studio.
[doublepost=1479135945][/doublepost]
It is not a coding platform, it is a development environment.
What do you see as the distinction? Every "development environment" I've ever used has fundamentally been a coding platform.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
revs Avatar
108 months ago
As a ASP.Net developer, this is fantastic news. Have used Xamarin Studio in the past, and great to see MS taking the mac dev environment seriously!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Frederik on MacRumors Avatar
108 months ago
That's nice! I hope it works better then VBA on OS X...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sappharad Avatar
107 months ago
Microsoft doesn't have a good history of buying and rebranding existing products to target Mac users.
Here's the biggest example:
Skype for Business, which replaced Microsoft Lync.
It was recently released and it's such buggy and incomplete product it couldn't even qualify to be called a beta release.
How are those two even related? Skype for Business was not a product they bought and re-branded. They built a brand new client from scratch to replace Lync 2011 which hadn't received any updates other than bug fixes for years.

Skype for Business doesn't really have anything to do with Skype other than branding. It's still a private IM network for businesses based on the same SIP based Lync protocol that they've used from the beginning. On Windows they didn't even bother to write a new client, they just re-branded the existing one and you can even switch the UI back to Lync with a Windows registry key. The new SFB Mac client isn't great, but I'm glad they put effort into re-writing the whole thing. That usually means they'll have people who are familiar with it enough to keep it better maintained. On the other hand, the new client appears to be written in Swift, which could mean they used a lot of new people on it since the language itself is so new. That could explain why there are issues with it. Hopefully they get resolved soon.

I checked out the new Visual Studio Mac Preview since it was officially released today. Early impressions:

* The installer still downloads and installs over a gig of Android SDK stuff, even if you uncheck Xamarin.Android in the installer.
* It has a dark theme, like the Windows version does. I really like that, Xamarin Studio didn't have one.
* They actually removed this from Xamarin Studio a while ago and I never noticed, but there's no WinForms project template available. You CAN still open, compile and run WinForms projects on Visual Studio Mac. Of course, as before this uses Mono's WinForms implementation, and any native Win32 calls won't work.
* The IDE default was re-arranged compared to Xamarin Studio. The solution explorer is now on the right instead of the left, like it is in Visual Studio for Windows.
* There is new icons and branding, the latter which is expected since it's now Visual Studio.

Aside from those things, it's still very much the same tool as MonoDevelop & Xamarin Studio so anyone who used either of the previous two can probably just switch.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dylin Avatar
108 months ago
This is kind of good news to hear
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Will Include These New Features for Your iPhone

Wednesday February 5, 2025 7:15 am PST by
iOS 18.3 was released last month, so the first iOS 18.4 beta should be coming soon. iOS 18.4 is expected to be a more substantial update for the iPhone, with several new features and changes related to Apple Intelligence and beyond. Apple's website suggests that iOS 18.4 will be released in April, following beta testing. Below, we outline what to expect from the update so far. Apple...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive an All-New Perk

Thursday February 6, 2025 11:21 am PST by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. iCloud+ is the official name for Apple's paid iCloud storage plans, which range from 50GB for $0.99 per month to 12TB for $59.99 per month in the United States. iCloud+ plans already come with multiple perks for free, such as Hide My Email and HomeKit Secure Video, and now there is another one...
maxresdefault

An Apple TV Refresh is Coming in 2025 - Here's What You Should Know

Wednesday February 5, 2025 10:17 am PST by
Apple hasn't refreshed the Apple TV since 2022, but rumors suggest that we're finally going to get an update in 2025. We don't have a full picture of what to expect yet, but we have some hints on what's coming. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Updated A-Series Chip The current Apple TV 4K uses the A15 Bionic chip that was in the iPhone 13 lineup, and it's time for...
iPhone SE 4 Single Camera Thumb

iPhone SE 4 Launching as Soon as Next Week

Thursday February 6, 2025 3:30 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone SE could debut as soon as next week with a launch to follow later in February, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple isn't expected to hold an event for the iPhone SE 4, and will instead unveil the device through a press release. The iPhone SE 4 is expected to have an iPhone 14-style design, with Apple eliminating the thick bezels and Touch ID Home button of...
iOS 18

iOS 18.3.1 Update Coming Soon for iPhones

Thursday February 6, 2025 7:31 am PST by
Apple is internally testing iOS 18.3.1 for iPhones, according to our website's analytics logs, which have been a consistently reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. The software update should be released within the next few weeks. iOS 18.3.1 should be a minor update that addresses software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. Apple Intelligence notification summaries for news and...
iCloud General Feature Redux

Apple Ordered by UK to Create Global iCloud Encryption Backdoor

Friday February 7, 2025 2:37 am PST by
The British government has secretly demanded that Apple give it blanket access to all encrypted user content uploaded to the cloud, reports The Washington Post. The undisclosed order is said to have been issued last month, and requires that Apple creates a back door that allows UK security officials unencumbered access to encrypted user data worldwide – an unprecedented demand not before...
disney

Disney+ Loses 700,000 Subscribers Following Price Increase

Wednesday February 5, 2025 3:34 pm PST by
Disney+ lost 700,000 subscribers worldwide in recent months, according to Disney's earnings results for the first quarter of 2025. Disney said it now has 124.6 million Disney+ subscribers, a decrease of 0.7 million compared to its subscriber numbers in the fourth quarter of 2024. The drop in subscribers comes after Disney+ prices increased in the fall. Disney+ with Ads went from $7.99 to...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses to Expand to These 7 U.S. States

Wednesday February 5, 2025 6:27 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Below, we outline which U.S. states and territories offer the feature, and additional states that have committed to rolling it out in...