Microsoft tried every bit to steal Apple's WWDC thunder

The month of June is synonymous to #WWDC for tech enthusiasts and Apple fans.  However, what has been even more interesting is the way Microsoft has been trying to hog the limelight just before the beginning of WWDC.

It all started with its announcement of Microsoft’s Xamarin after party at WWDC16. Talk about better timing! Probably not. Microsoft’s ingenious move to get the attention of everyone attending Apple's big developer event WWDC16 on Monday by offering them free food and booze is being hailed as a brilliant business tactic.

Apple couldn’t be trolled in a cheekier way. You can count on your fingers the number of people discussing WWDC at the moment but the thunder set in with Microsoft’s announcement of the LinkedIn buyout is still reverberating across social media.

#Microsoft afterparty after #WWDC16 to promote #Xamarin. Cool stunt from @Microsoft https://t.co/5nlqRYa2Ep pic.twitter.com/KapsNye3xM

— Paul Sørensen (@paulsoerensen) June 8, 2016

Monday also saw the unveiling of 'Project Scorpio', a new Xbox console that will support ultra-high resolution gaming and virtual reality, while also launching a slimmer version of its Xbox One console at the video game conference E3 in Los Angeles.

Project Scorpio, which will have the ability to power virtual reality experiences and 4K gaming, is expected to be available during the holiday season in 2017.

Microsoft’s ploy of the WWDC after party reminds you that there is no rulebook to tell you when to make a move or within what parameters. Pounce on an opportunity and think outside the box. This is precisely what Satya Nadella is doing.

Hence, it looks like a series of some strategically planned moves that started the day with LinkedIn cancelling a live streaming of the WWDC 2016 keynote. In the morning, the official page for the watch party was updated to say that the event was cancelled.

Though the page didn't specifically mention Microsoft's buyout of LinkedIn, visitors were told to visit the official LinkedIn press information site "for more information." "We hope you are able to find alternative accommodations and apologise for any inconvenience," the site read.

Attendees of the party will be able to meet Microsoft developers working on Outlook for iOS and get "a closer look on how Microsoft is reinventing itself on iOS." The company will also talk about its current Office suite for iOS as well as its SwiftKey iOS keyboard and its MileIQ mileage app for iOS, which Microsoft acquired last year.

But more importantly, Microsoft wants to get developers interested in Xamarin, which is not a club drug but a company it owns that makes a series of app development tools. Xamarin is supposed to let developers build cross-platform apps, so it's a big win for Microsoft to drive interest there. It means more people paying for Xamarin services, like Test Cloud, and it means iOS developers will have an easier time bringing their apps to Windows.

In recent years, Nadella has been trying to prove that Microsoft is more than just Windows. The company has been focusing on creating apps and opportunities for Apple's iOS, Android and other competing platforms. The desire to embrace rival operating systems is part of the new and more open Microsoft and a way to generate revenue beyond that of its core desktop products.