After the release and record-breaking download count of Windows 8 Developer Preview, we can easily calculate the keen interest of users in this upcoming operating system. Windows 8 has some built-in applications but when you try to get to the Windows Store, it says ‘Coming Soon’. It’s not too difficult to understand the reason for that.
The new operating system with the new platform is waiting for developers to build all new applications using the various technology choices, Microsoft has made available to them to delight the Windows 8 users.With the reimagination of Windows the Windows Store symbolizes the reimagined partnership between Microsoft and developers. This partnership is built on a multi-year tradition where Microsoft has always focused on prioritizing developers, platform and tooling. Hence Microsoft is not doing something new by investing in developers and developers opportunity, but this time it is adding some new dimensions to it.
These dimensions are:
- Application Certification
- Application Promotion
- Application Delivery
- Acquisition of transaction services
- Feedback qualitative experiences
- Business opportunities
The partnership now includes direct software discovery, acquisition, servicing and the feedback mechanism. This business from developers perspective can be seen as something growing with Windows scale.
This innovative idea comes with lot of common goals which both Microsoft and developers share. Those are:
- Customer Delight
- Loyalty
- Operational Efficiency
- Effectiveness
Developers have now opportunity to grow their brand and to reach customer, establish and in-grow their business. Aspects of this partnership allow some significant choices primarily around the way business has to be done with the customers which are primarily a rich set of transaction services, flexibility in price deal, controls they want to put into their apps and first party offering from Microsoft to monetize their applications which will be industry competitive.
What brings confidence to this partnership is that Windows 8 Store is the only place where the Metro Style apps can be distributed and Microsoft will substantially support developer side loading.
This again mean four things:
- Curation and Protection
– Examination of every application
– Technical Certification
– Virus and Malware check
– Content appropriateness
– Consistency and predictability
Integration of the store service into the system or the platform will assure the robustness of the applications available to be downloaded and this will simply imply a system supported service
- Integration and Flexibility
The applications users get from store will be robust, powerful, performing and importantly secure and reliable.
- Commitment
Investing in this new technology, providing a new platform and investing in submission and distribution of developers intellectual property their innovation and creativity will be well-regarded by Microsoft and its users alike.
- Business Opportunity
As of now Microsoft has sold over 450 million licenses of Windows 7 in less than 2 years. A few billion desktops running some version of Windows, a re-imagined user experience, a new application model, new form factor diversity and a platform targeting a new chipset, an integrated software for motion discovery, acquisition servicing and data to help understand how to take advantage of it right into the system – all this indicates that the business model has a potential to grow exponentially. According to Steve Balmer 500 million devices will be capable of running Windows 8 by the time the final version of it will be in our hand.
Certainly with the incorporation of these aspects there will be a new revolution in Windows-based application development trend.
To see how the store will look like, what features it will have, how it will promote Apps, listing page design, discoverability of the applications stay tuned!
Read more on the anatomy, design and promotion principles of Windows 8 Store.
