This makes sense for users who are coming from the Windows version of the IDE, but it was one of the first things I noticed coming from Xamarin Studio. One slightly disorienting change for someone who has long used Xamarin Studio is that the Solution Explorer and tabs for Toolbox, Properties, and the Document outline have switched sides. Elements of the IDE have been repositioned to make the experience more similar as well. Some of the interface has been reskinned to more closely resemble the visual style of the Windows version. Visual Studio for Mac has a few notable changes to what's currently available in Xamarin Studio. In this article we'll examine some of the changes Visual Studio for Mac as well as some of our hopes for the future of the product. It's an interesting move on Microsoft's part (and perhaps an inevitable one given their acquisition of Xamarin) that signals a much higher investment in allowing developers to work anywhere.

While this may seem like a major change on the surface, a closer look quickly reveals that Visual Studio for Mac is an updated and rebranded version of Xamarin Studio. Today at Microsoft's Connect event, Microsoft finally announced the long unthinkable version of Visual Studio for Mac.