20 Mar, 2013 Khidr Suleman - itpro
Redmond tries to re-ignite interest in mobile ecosystem.Microsoft is offering developers cash incentives to make apps for its Windows Phone and Windows 8 platforms as the firm tries to inject momentum into its newly launched ecosystems.
Redmond is offering US developers $100 per app if they are published by 30 June. The deal is capped at $2,000, which means devs can submit 10 apps to the Windows Phone and 10 apps to the Windows 8 Store.The apps submitted must comply with Microsoft’s certification requirements. Developers must create applications for a specific purpose other than just launching a web page. The offer is limited to the first 10,000 qualified entries or until 30 June, whichever comes first.
The promotion suggests Microsoft has realised that interest in its platforms is waning. Former head of Windows, Steven Sinofsky, was adamently against paying developers, but since his departure the policy has changed.
Whilst the newly launched
BB10 OS has 1,000 apps submitted per day, submissions for Microsoft’s Windows Store have dropped to just
4,000 per month.
Charlie Kindel, a former Windows Phone manager at Microsoft, claimed the situation while he was working at the company was
desperate.
“
We were willing to do just about anything to get apps on to the platform. And we did just about anything,” he said in a blog post.
However, he acknowledged that paying developers is not the way to build a successful ecosystem.
“
Paying developers to target your platform is a sign of desperation. Doing so means developers have no skin in the game. A platform where developers do not have skin in the game is artificially propped up and will not succeed in the long run,” Kindel added.
http://www.itpro.co.uk/mobile/19471/microsoft-offers-2k-developers-make-windows-apps?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ITPro%2FToday+%28IT+PRO+-+Today%29
