Microsoft throws open Windows Store to all developers Microsoft has fully opened its Windows Store doors to all developers ahead of the October 26 launch of its new operating system, after a beta program that began in February. "Today’s an especially great day to be a developer," said Microsoft's Antoine Leblond, head of its web services operation. "The Store is now open for app …
Somehow, I don't think the $999.99 price ceiling is going to be a problem for the kinds of apps intended to be offered through the Windows Store. Windows 8 users will still be able to install from other sources and the really pricey stuff is likely to remain desktop oriented for the foreseeable future.
As for Windows RT, where the Windows Store is the only option for non-enterprise users, what kind of software is going to demand such a price for a single system?
What are the most expensive items in the iOS App Store and Google Play?
A search of most expensive apps for each platform shows Android prices topping out at just a few hundred while a few iOS apps command the remarkable $999 price tag. Unsurprisingly, they're extremely specialized and suspect the price tag has little to do with how they're actually sold.
"The success or otherwise of Windows 8 is going to be built around applications ... the Windows 8 application cupboard is looking quite bare at the moment"
*boggle* Anyone would think the Reg have completely forgotten that Windows 8 is perfectly backwards compatible with the vast amount of Windows software?
Of course if we're talking Windows RT, then that's a different matter. And yes, there's a need for new touch-optimised software for Windows x86 tablets too. But Windows 8 will have loads of apps just like every previous versions of Windows have had apps. Windows software will Just Work fine, you don't need a special "Windows 8 app" to run.
If the predictions about increases in tablet devices are true, then there'll be demand for people to write new applications anyway. And if not, it won't matter, as people using Windows 8 on non-tablet devices will just use the wealth of software already there.
Whether people will use Microsoft's site is another matter too - but a lack of software on that doesn't mean a lack of software for Windows, since unlike one other platform, you're free to download from wherever you like. Though I've yet to find out what the real story for Windows RT, or "Metro" on x86 Windows - are they locked down so you can only install from MS? I've heard opinions one way and the other, and no official sources on this yet. The idea that MS could have so much control over software distribution is worrying - but now that Apple have been not criticised, and even praised for doing this very thing, means they can get away with it.
"will also need to get mobile developers onboard fast if the Windiws 8 is going to get close to the appeal of Mac OS X, Android, or even BlackBerry"
Another blooper. Mac OS X on mobile? (Yes, I know IOS and Mac OS X run the same kernel, but an Iphone is not a Mac - I haven't heard that myth in about 5 years.)
When I installed the RTM of Win8 a couple days ago I was surprised to see how much new stuff was in the store. Still a very limited selection compared to the more established platforms but I didn't expec any of it to be visible ahead of the official release.
On launch day the Store for RT may seem a bit meager but I'm expecting there will be a few hundred items there, including some of the big names from the iOS/Android worlds. A lot of it will be encapsulated web sites, like the one for this site, that present little challenge in being recompiled for RT.
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