Dollars for Apps: Microsoft Pays Mobile App Developers

We’ve watched as Microsoft has taken its tentative first steps into the mobile phone market. It seemed like a natural progression from Micrososft Pocket PC PDAs. However, as witnessed through the abysmal reception for Windows Mobile 6.5 and the recent death of the teen-friendly Microsoft Kin, they’re still trying to hit their stride. As the ramp up for the much-anticipated Windows 7 Phone, they’re looking to level the playing field a bit.

Microsoft is currently putting its wallet where its mouth is and paying developers to create mobile apps for the yet to be debuted device. Perhaps taking a lesson from the missteps of Palm and the Palm Pre, Microsoft is attempting to shore up it’s app collection before it goes to market. According to Bloomberg, the company is providing free hardware in addition to the financial lures.

While they won’t comment on exactly how much money developers can expect, it’s clear that Microsoft is prepared to devote a larger sum than in previous efforts.

“We are investing a lot to attract developers big and small to Windows Phone 7 to let them understand what the opportunity is and provide as many resources as we can to help them be successful on our platform,” Tom Brix , a senior director at Microsoft said. “We’re open for business and we want to work with them.”

When you look at the smartphone market, we already know who’s running the show, despite their regrettable missteps on the software/design front. Apple is on the top of the heap with 225,000 apps available for download. Android lovers are making headway in the battle for top phone with approximately 65.000 apps. Microsoft needs at least 1,ooo great apps at launch with a rapid turnaround rate for developers to stay competitive with Android and Apple. 1,000 may seem like a small number considering Apple’s massive collection, but if they have above average apps that recieve high marks, especially in the gaming, music, and productivity arenas, it could be enough to tide Microsoft over until they get a decent foothold in the market.

What do you think? Can Microsoft’s upcoming phone compete with Apple and Android? Are you interested in purchasing a Windows Phone? Let us know in the comments section.

About the Author
Sherri is a freelance writer that has a love of all things fun and geeky including gadgets, gaming, anime, and comics. When she isn't writing or out on the town living it up, she loves doing 10-12 hour marathon sessions on her Xbox 360 or one of her older consoles. It's not an addiction, it's a way of life!
See all posts by Sherri L. Smith.