Microsoft today revealed some details regarding its new application store, which has currently been titled the Windows 8 Windows Store. This new application store is expected to be released at the same time as Microsoft releases its Windows 8 Beta OS, and the launch date is expected to be sometime in February. Antoine Leblond, who is Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President, explained that the developer-sharing deal for this store will give developers an 80% cut on all revenues after the $25,000 mark that are garnered by their applications. Only 70% of the revenues earned before that mark will be shared with the developers. In contrast, Apple offers a straight 70% cut of all the revenues earned by an app to the developers of said app.
Another thing that is expected to be different in the Windows 8 Windows Store as compared to its Apple counterpart is the approach taken by the stores to different subscription models. Services like online newspapers can offer a subscription option to their newspaper through their apps and unlike Apple or Google’s stores, they can use their own existing authentication system to help their users log in. In contrast Apple and Google usually do not allow the developers to do this and instead force them to employ proprietary authentication systems.
Ted Dworkin, who is the partner program manager for the Windows 8 Windows Store, further explained through a blog post that since many apps have existing business models that depend on certain transaction providers or enjoy the benefits of relations to other lines of business, customers of these businesses would prefer the efficiency and trust that would come with a familiar transaction experience that the Windows 8 Windows Store could provide them. He further clarified that developers would be allowed full freedom in choosing any ad platform that they prefer and that whether that platform belonged to Microsoft or not was irrelevant.
Microsoft has recently stated their aim to be transparent and not use legal jargon in order to cloud their approval process through their newly published app certification policies. They have also said that they will provide developers whose apps have been rejected with feedback in order to help them.
The Windows 8 Windows Store is expected to be released in direct competition with Apple’s App Store. It is therefore expected to have a presence around the globe, with Microsoft encouraging developers to make and publish apps for them in 231 different markets and in over a 100 languages.
