Microsoft Cooking up an App Store of its Own; Skymarket for Windows Mobile
Not that we fault them, but it looks like it didn’t take Microsoft long to look over Apple’s App Store conquest and realize it’s not such a bad idea after all. Google has no problems with mimicking Apple’s format so why should Microsoft? In fact, though Apple hardly invented the repository model we wish all handsets made use of it as well as the iPhone does. Maybe Symbian will be next in line with a sorely needed overhaul to its Download! offering. In any event, with Windows Mobile 7 will come the Microsoft Skymarket - an on-device marketplace where users can browse, purchase and download applications and games over the air. It should be interesting to see how Skymarket will source its content. After all, there are already around 20,000 applications available for Windows Mobile devices and it would be quite a chore to pipe them all through Skymarket at launch. Perhaps a selection process a la Nokia Software Market will come into play where Nokia decides which Symbian applications are “worthy” in an effort to weed out the junk. It doesn’t always work but there is no question it helps. Just compare Nokia’s sales portal to the video ringtone / flash animation-infested pages of Handango’s S60 section and see for yourself. But we digress. In the end, the repository model means easier access for users, more revenue for developers and less cake for Handango. We can’t say any of those are bad things. Hopefully Microsoft will take this opportunity to learn from Apple’s offering and iron out the kinks a bit to put together a better product as opposed to a straight copy. First and foremost, we have two words for you Microsoft: Trial versions.
Tags: 7, Android Market, app store, Apple, Applications, Apps, Games, microsoft, Skymarket, Windows Mobile
Sweet, If they get all the big players in SPB, Sprite, Resco, Lakeridge, WebIS & the freebie list that is FreewarePPC/SM then it shoud be good.
If XDA-devs had a slot, it’d be a total victory… Of course that woudn’t happen but I can dream.
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Monkey see monkey do, this is the problem with microsoft they are really good on some stuff but they make no Money on zune, no money on windows mobile anymore, and they got a repair bill from the team the fixes the xbox 360 bigger than what they had made on it, and at the same time they’re losing focus on software (vista) to be more expecific. Only a fool will throw money at that company, now they wan’t a apps store to get even more distractive, ok
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It’s about time!
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That graphic is so cute.
Sorry…
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Um they probably didn’t copy it off Apple. I mean didn’t MS aquire Danger, which it’s Sidekicks have their own catalogues and stuff???
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ha its a cat scan lol
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@ A pimp name slickback:
Actually I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to be a copycat, not a cat scan.
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terrible idea! lets see how long it takes for ms to just give up on the idea of drag and drop and only let people install approved apps through their store.
thats a great way to lose customers guys
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@ andy,
So it was a great idea when Apple did it but it’s a terrible idea for Microsoft to do it? How does that make sense?
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^ no use he’s an apple cultist an clearly has pro apple bias he can’t be reasoned with.
but i will say this IT IS A PC WORLD.
and the majority of coperat america and abroad rinn on windows and Linuux if fact one could say almost the entire inter net runs on linux Dns servers evn hot mail itself runs on it
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