“The company is providing financial incentives ranging from free tools and test handsets to funds for software development and marketing, said Todd Brix, a senior director at Microsoft who works with app developers,” Bass and Satariano report. “In some cases, Microsoft is providing revenue guarantees, and will make up the difference if apps don’t sell as well as expected, he said.”
Bass and Satariano report, “While Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, has used similar compensation programs for previous versions of its mobile operating system, it’s devoting a larger sum this time, Brix said. He declined to say how much Microsoft will spend.”
“At least four app makers have been approached by Microsoft and offered financial incentives in cash, assistance with development costs or revenue guarantees in exchange for having apps ready at or near the release of Windows Phone 7, said five people with knowledge of the matter. The people declined to be named because the incentive terms are confidential,” Bass and Satariano report. “Other mobile software makers use different approaches to entice programmers. Apple shares a portion of the revenue generated when consumers buy apps from its online store. The company, based in Cupertino, California, has sold more than 51 million iPhones since its 2007 debut.”
Bass and Satariano report, “Apple has about 225,000 apps available for the iPhone, while devices that run on Google’s Android operating system have access to some 65,000. Microsoft is starting from scratch in amassing apps for Windows Phone 7. Its overhaul of the operating system [means] that programs developed for older Windows-based phones won’t work on the new one. At the end of last year, Microsoft had only 246 apps, according to ABI.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
