Filed under: Windows Mobile, Microsoft
Windows Mobile App Store will be pricey - for developers
A few weeks ago Microsoft unveiled the pricing details for the Windows Marketplace for Mobile, also known as Microsoft's answer to the iPhone App Store. Developers will have to pay $99 per item listed in the store, and Microsoft will take a 30% cut of any sales revenue. That all sounds reasonable enough, but blogger Long Zheng has discovered two interesting facts:
- Developers who submit applications that are available for free download are not exempt from the $99 fee.
- Application updates are counted as new submissions.
So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do.
Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game.
The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
KeegdnaB said 5:09PM on 3-24-2009
At least they'll still always have the option of offering their apps outside the official software channel....unlike some other phones
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iGate said 5:44PM on 3-24-2009
gee, what a rip off!
i see no incentive there to develop an app for M$ except perhaps market share, but even that too is shrinking.
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Mike Cerm said 7:13PM on 3-24-2009
A rip off? If you charge $5 for your software, and you sell 100,000 copies, is a $100 really that big of a deal?
I think this is a smart move by Microsoft. It's enough of a speed-bump to keep the crap out, meanwhile anyone who's remotely serious about developing a useful application will not flinch at the $100 fee, and will be able to do fine with 5 free submissions per year.
Also, since Microsoft isn't going to lock 3rd parties out from making and selling apps outside of the ecosystem, there will still be a free market for apps that aren't commercially viable.
BrianM said 5:49PM on 3-24-2009
Build an updater into your application and you do not have to worry about repayng every time you have an update. If they make this too cheap then every stupid application will be up there in hours,
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burnblue said 6:29PM on 3-24-2009
5 per year. That $99 is for 5 apps. That means it's better for you if you're submitting more than just one. If you have 6 or more apps in there, I'm going to assume you're a good-sized company that can afford $99 for an app. I'd rather not see the app store overwhelmed by crappy apps.. this fee makes sure that only serious entries get in there
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Christian said 7:13PM on 3-24-2009
I see this as Microsoft's way of making developers really make good quality softwares before it comes out rather than updating every week... It might be hypocritical since they failed a little on Vista...
If not, I'm sure there's still ways to get applications outside of Marketplace since it's a WinMo device.
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Deadpan said 7:52PM on 3-24-2009
Wow. Microsoft once again manages to out-douche Apple.
A per-app submission fee is necessary, but for updates? Well, I suppose you can install updates from another site, right?
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Dan Wesnor said 8:44PM on 3-24-2009
I remember when Microsoft had low barriers to entry for developers and Apple made it nearly impossible. My, how the world has changed.
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Seoman said 8:15AM on 3-25-2009
Not really. Microsoft has never distributed 3rd party apps for any of its platforms before, IIRC. And you can still make your free/low cost app and distribute it yourself; no such luck with Apple, which is why they have to let a lot of crap on the AppStore.
wrabbit said 9:37PM on 3-24-2009
@Deadpan: That was my first thought as well, but others make a good point. The seemingly "steep" price isn't actually that much for a serious developer who actually wants to make a useful app that makes them money. It encourages better quality, since devs will be interested in minimizing updates, and it discourages silly and/or useless apps that would have to be provided for free or won't make money.
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Quikboy said 11:49PM on 3-24-2009
It does seem harsh, doesn't it? But like others have pointed out, maybe it will encourage developers to build quality applications from the start, rather than providing a lot of updates as it progresses (though MS follows that latter route too...). Unfortunately, most people will view the news with bitterness because developers that really care about their apps are often used to pushing updates.
Considering you don't have to use WMfM, you could upload a beta version of your application on a website, allow users to use for a certain period to provide feedback, and then sell it on WMfM after you apply the fixes.
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awind said 8:15AM on 3-25-2009
My a$$ already hurts for how much I paid for their IDE. What are they thinking? I have to pay them to develop for them. So they can make more money on the OS. I dont love apple either but I am tired of throwing money at MS.
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Ridgecity said 8:15AM on 3-25-2009
Wow, this is a dead-on-arrival deal here. First you gotta have a big enough installed base to keep the crap out while. Of course this is nothing for big companies, but what if the big companies don't give a rat's ass about developing for your system? most companies weren't interested in the iphone until it was amazingly popular, and tons of the best apps are done by regular people, not giant corps, specially games and nifty gadgets.
Let's remember, this is Microsoft, they can easily change their policy in 24 hours.
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Ridgecity said 8:15AM on 3-25-2009
not to mention charging $99 even for free applications and another $99 for updates is a pretty bad idea. Not even Apple made something like this.
hazard said 8:15AM on 3-25-2009
Is that a picture of the mysterious Zune phone? Mmmm .. tasty
I'm not overly impressed with this initial spec of the MS App store. Maybe they should have a tiered marketplace where one store is a free-for-all and another is commercial like this ?
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Norwin said 12:43PM on 3-25-2009
The beauty of free enterprize, someone else lays down the ground work and then a bigger company finds a way to profit from it. Apples' success showed everyone how to do it properly so you know there is a ton of money to be made by both parties.
Face it, make a great app and pay for the marketing. I think the marketshare for WinMo is way bigger so quit yer yapping and make some money. If you don't like it, go back to DIY and see how that goes.
Ofcourse, all this depends on M$ ability to produce a better app than iTunes. Apple nailed it on that one and no other has even come close.
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