Comments on: Microsoft details app store plans

The software maker says developers who want to sell via the Windows Marketplace for Mobile will pay $99 a year and get to keep 70 percent of the proceeds.

[elllroy]

sounds an awful lot like the "closed" concept of a competitor... wasn't apple's model ridiculed all the time by redmont? wasn't "open" better all the time? anyway, as always apple leads, the rest follows.

and by the way, apple will soon announce their one billionth download from the app store with more than 25.000 apps available (more than there are for windows mobile).

and the microsoft store coming in q4, as a website? and you can't download apps directly to your phone? are they kidding?

[NickH]

Well, I believe the Apple App store is the only way to get distribute software for the iPhone, whereas 3rd party software for Windows Mobile can be loaded on the the device from any PC, and has already been available for many years.

[Synthmeister]

If the 3rd party software for Windows Mobile available from any PC had been successful in any significant way, Microsoft wouldn't be even talking about Windows Marketplace.

[catch23]

Synthmeister
3rd party software for Windows Mobile has been very successful. However, mostly in businesses, where there is some skill and expertise in deciding what to load( there are HUGE variations in quality of WM software)
The Marketplace is a way for average people with no experience to be assured they are loading something that has been vetted.
While it was a good choice for Apple to do that, they sadly decided to use it as a lock-in to force even more cash from the user. Hopefully MS will leave the door open to 3rd parties, so they can offer software outside the store.

[Synthmeister]

"3rd party software for Windows Mobile has been very successful."

I would love to see some numbers on that. Downloads, revenue for MS, revenue for developers, anything. I've heard that there are some 20K Windows Mobile Apps available but never seen any stories about anyone making any money off of any any of them or any revenue they've generated for MS.

BTW, it sounds like MS is doing the exact same kind of "lock-in" for their store. I don't see how they can leave the door open to 3rd parties while also guaranteeing that "device and network resources aren't used in a malicious way." If MS leaves the door open to 3rd parties, why would developers bother paying the $100 submission fee? Someone will set up a free WindowsMobile software site in a heartbeat.

[NickH]

"If MS leaves the door open to 3rd parties, why would developers bother paying the $100 submission fee?"

That is the most hillarously clueless thing I have read in ages.

$100 and 30% of revenue is what you pay to get on to a branded distribution channel. If you dont want to pay, go create you own distribution channel. You think you can do that for $100 and 30%?

[DrtyDogg]

Synthmeister: There wouldn't be revenue for MS as they didn't create any 3rd party software for Windows Mobile. Go ask a developer if they've made money.

[GuardBoy98]

Charging $99 to submit an application is an interesting strategy. It should weed out a lot of useless junk, but it also deters hobbyists from participating in the Windows Mobile store. I assume since it's Windows, you can install apps from sources other than the store, but to me this is a clear sign that MS is not interested in competing directly with Apple for the casual non-business user's business.

[NickH]

Microsoft already have an app store just like this, but for the XBox - The retail side is "Community Games" and the dev side is "XNA Creators Club". That also cost's $99 per annum, and there's no shortage of developers who have paid up.

To get your game out to the XBox users, you have to fo through a peer review processes. Community games are not likley to be confused with the latest from Bungee, but they're generally not junk either.

[knowles2]

An they would be stupid to not link the two togeather some how in the future. Same as Sony would be stupid for not to developing some sought of App stores for its psp.

[sting7k]

'The software maker pledged that it will also offer developers "complete transparency throughout the application submission process" as well as direct feedback.'

Wow, MS going right for the jugular. Looks like we are going to have an all out battle royale of mobile device application stores. Let the fun begin!

[Synthmeister]

"Microsoft already have an app store just like this, but for the XBox"?Then why has it taken them so long to get this thing going for WindowsMobile? That really boggles my mind.

"That also cost's $99 per annum, and there's no shortage of developers who have paid"?Are there any stats on downloads and/or profits for the developers? I've never heard of anyone making any money on this.

It really amazes me how MicroSoft has sat around on their hands for 9 years in the mobile space and now everything is "me too." Apple has obviously had?and continues to have?growing pains with their App store but that's better then outright stagnation. In less than one year, Apple has totally eclipsed Microsoft in every possible metric in this area: applications, downloads, revenue and mindshare. Sure, there's a bunch of fart apps, but they make money too, and that's what attracts developers.

Microsoft needs to get crackin'. The Apple App store is already closing in on $1 Billion revenue by 2010.

[NickH]

"I've never heard of anyone making any money on this".

Let me assure you, people make money.

[knowles2]

People been making **** loads of money on Apple store from small/one man companies, to medium to large companies

[splinter82]

"Microsoft already have an app store just like this, but for the XBox"?Then why has it taken them so long to get this thing going for WindowsMobile? That really boggles my mind.

It has been a long time coming, and MS have let their mobile OS stagnate for rather too long. Windows Mobile has never benefited from the same kind of marketing that Iphone and Blackberry have, and until recently, never had very attractive phones as a base to run on either.

"That also cost's $99 per annum, and there's no shortage of developers who have paid"?Are there any stats on downloads and/or profits for the developers? I've never heard of anyone making any money on this.

From a blog somewhere - "Microsoft have announced figures for trial downloads, which clock in at an impressive 110,000,000. VGChartz estimates total sales of 28,182,946, giving us a conversion rate of about 25%." They havent yet announced details for individuals games; the facility for developers to measure how many games they have sold is supposed to be available this month.

"Microsoft needs to get crackin'. The Apple App store is already closing in on $1 Billion revenue by 2010."

IT does, but I dont think Microsoft will be aiming to top the Apple App store with the Windows Mobile Marketplace. The very nature of the Windows Mobile OS is that it appeals to a specific crowd of users, and without massive changes that I don't see it ever getting, it will never have the mass market appeal of the iPhone. But Microsoft can probably carve themselves a reasonable niche with this idea. Hells, I'd certainly use it rather than browsing though dozens of potentially suspect sites in order to find the program I want.

[colamix]

Microsoft should start convincing OEMs to release their hardware APIs such speakers, cameras and other highly restricted shenanigans if it wants developers on board.

[totocalimero]

Is this just some marketing bluff from MS again? Where is the web page on microsoft.com giving some more information? Is this another promise from MS whose only purpose is to make sure developers don't get started on another platform and waste their time waiting for MS to deliver something that works?

As an iPhone developer, there are a few things that I really like about the Apple App Store. One of those is that the code I create is signed and cannot be easily pirated. I know that there are people out there that have cracked $0.99 apps and have made them available for download, but it is not easy for the average user to get those. They need to jailbreak their iPhone/iPod (feasible, but at your own rosk), then you need to go get those programs. Also, who in their right mind would pirate an app sold for 1 buck? Also, Apple could push an update of its signing algorithm if the piracy of apps in the app store gets too serious.

We can all argue about the closeness of the Apple platform, but if I am going to invest my time to build an app, I don't want it to be easily cracked and distributed for free. Apple provides a decent mechanism to limit piracy, even if it is not perfect.

Is MS going to implement a similar signing mechanism to limit the number of pirated copies in the wild? Implementing a protection mechanism with a license key (as is customary in the WM world) is close to useless since the algorithms are easily cracked or the programs are easy to patch to bypass the code checking the validity of the key entered.

I think that if MS doesn't guarantee some protection of my code, that guarantees that the average user won't be able to get a cracked version a few hours after I release an app, I will simply pass on this offer.

[TyDiz]

$99? Are they joking? Google is only charging a $25 one time charge to upload as many apps as you want for Android. I'm not sure what Apple is charging but it ain't anything near that...Why would anybody do that if they can just upload their stuff to a third party website for cheaper?
Anyway, good luck Microsoft...Don't be too surprised when the competition slays you!

[t8]

I agree.
They are too expensive.

[littleM]

I love the way that Microsoft has refined its marketing strategy from "copy Apple" to "copy the worst of Apple." I bet there was a huge internal debate within Microsoft to call the store 'iZunes' and buy HTC in order to make their own iGHone (pronounced like 'enouGH') hardware. There is a rumor on San Hill Road that the Gate Foundation secretely funded a biotech startup in San Bruno to clone Steve Jobs in order to obtain his "reality distortion field" gene, which will be digitized and incorporated into Windows 7 (the only real change to Vista).

[Synthmeister]

Somehow the idea of getting "locked in" to a couple dozen sub $5 apps doesn't really seem that scary to me. This isn't like the iPod where someone might have several hundred or even thousands of tracks. (And people simply ripped their own CDs anyways.)

And no one is preventing anyone from porting their app to another platform.

And totocalimero has it absolutely right, there may be "lock-in" but that's an advantage to the developers as their programs will be have at least some kind of protection from pirating without them even trying. It makes it very profitable to offer very cheap software.

[RompStar_420]

The first thing MS needs to do is create a stable Mobile Operating System, which it is not, it freezes a lot and sometimes totally locks up. Sure MS will say, well, it's not our OS, it's the phone!! But don't you certify your OS for whatever phone you include that on ?

The crappiest every cell phone I owned, was Window Mobile on a Motorola Q, total piece of plastic!!!!!

[splinter82]

Try to keep up. Windows Mobile 6.1 is a pretty stable mobile OS- my Touch HD hasn't crashed on me once in three months of ownership, and I'm not particularly kind to it; its loaded with customisation apps and games and suchlike.

[skrubol]

The best cell phone I've ever owned is a Sprint (HTC) touch with WM6.1 (upgraded from 6.0.) I restart my phone once every few weeks on average, when it starts acting strange. I've got tons of 3rd party apps on it, some which run in the background, which I suspect doesn't help stability. I very rarely get total lock-ups. It was a bit worse with WM 6.0.
My previous phone (Samsung A900,) was not a smart phone and needed to be rebooted at least once a week, and would frequently hard-freeze.

[mikeburek]

I'm going to create a store that charges $99 per vendor so that they can advertise and sell to me. I'll only buy from that store.

[MarkyGoldstein]

We need an App Store for the normal PC too!!!