Earlier this week, Microsoft announced that like Apple, Android and Nokia it will give developers 70 percent of app sales revenue. However, unlike other platform providers, it will provide “transparency throughout the certification process, and guidance and support from the stage of development to the final sale to the consumer.”
Microsoft’s differentiation sounds good on paper and I have read analysis which claims that since developer relations is Microsoft’s strengths, leveraging it against the czars of Cupertino is a wise thing. Even if Microsoft can economically provide cradle-to-adulthood support to hundreds of thousands of developers, will that be enough to attract the best developers to WinMo?
The best development teams are breaking down walls to create fantastic apps. They will build their apps for platforms which consumers buy. Android is a case in point. Despite all the buzz around it, Android Market has around 1000 apps compared to over 27,000 on the App Store. Unless the G1 moves off-the-shelf as fast as iPhone, majority of developers will not invest in it.
To really get legions of developers on board, Microsoft must find a way to make Windows Mobile devices fly off the shelves. To do so, Microsoft needs to internally develop (or acquire) at least one application that alone provides enough reason to buy and love a WinMo6.5 device – a killer app. Blackberry’s killer app is Wireless Email and Apple’s killer app is Safari. What does Windows Mobile have up its sleeve?
To close off, I don’t think is lousy in supporting developers, it is just selective. Recently, I went for a talk by Jamie Gotch, one of the two developers who created the hit iPhone game, FieldRunners. Jamie talked about how extensively Apple promoted their game once it had received great reviews from users and the press. And this afternoon I was reading about how Apple has allowed another top gaming app iMafia – a multiplayer online role playing game – to do microtransactions. Bottomline – if a developer builds an app that consumers love, Apple will bend the straitjacket and provide it great support. Rest of the developers should just be happy that they get to hang out with the hip crowd.
Mobile Sands 