You could sell your apps through it. Or does that not make sense? And if not, why does the iPhone appstore make sense?
Ask YC: why doesn't Microsoft have a Windows App Store?
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Re: Ask YC: why doesn't Microsoft have a Windows App Store?
#2They do, it's called the Windows Marketplace.
http://www.windowsmarketplace.com/
Edit: It looks like they closed it. :|
Re: Ask YC: why doesn't Microsoft have a Windows App Store?
#3Windows Marketplace? http://www.windowsmarketplace.com
Re: Ask YC: why doesn't Microsoft have a Windows App Store?
#41) Requires creative thinking.
2) Microsoft can't make money off it.
3) You can't compete with Microsoft.
4) Microsoft isn't in the business of helping you make money.
Re: Ask YC: why doesn't Microsoft have a Windows App Store?
#5Windows Marketplace? http://www.windowsmarketplace.com
Looks like they have abandoned that idea.
Edit: It no longer sells non-Microsoft software was what I meant.
Re: Ask YC: why doesn't Microsoft have a Windows App Store?
#6The iPhone app store is Apple's beachhead into mobile computing in general, the iPhone the first of many such mobile platforms. App store developers get rich, and Apple's platform becomes more popular and attractive to users. It has worked well so far.
Microsoft already owns the majority of the desktop space. Why would it need an App store? The returns on investment would be insufficient to justify any investment.
Re: Ask YC: why doesn't Microsoft have a Windows App Store?
#7Because software distribution through physical retail channels was well established before the internet became mainstream.
And before Microsoft could get their head around the opps on the internet, Tucows, CNET, et al. had the leg up in online application distribution - though they left monetization up to the end developer.
Digital River used to be a digital download online marketplace, but they cut their "app store" out and now focus solely on e-commerce.
Re: Ask YC: why doesn't Microsoft have a Windows App Store?
#8It would put other companies that sell software out of business. They really want people like Amazon to be on there side otherwise they might stop selling Windows software and start pushing Mac. In addition Microsoft probably wouldn't ship applications that they saw as serious competitors and would get a lot of legal hassle.
Apple's iPhone store only makes sense in the sense that it is simple for users to get software. In the long term I think it's anti-competitive and stupid, since there should be a Amazon store and various other stores that compete with each other. Currently applications on the iPhone are fairly small and low value - if they move the platform to big devices like a 10inch tablet, Apple TV with more sophisticated applications, then it will have to open up.
Re: Ask YC: why doesn't Microsoft have a Windows App Store?
#9Because, just like Mac users, Linux* users and users everywhere which has a full rich user-interface, not a minimal mobile interface, they like to be able to get applications from any source, not just one central location.
While the Apple AppStore no doubt is successful, Apple has most definitely proven just how bad that idea works out in practice, and how trying to control it effectively leads to inconsistent censorship leading developers to either hold back on ideas or spend programming effort which could have been spent making their applications better, to make sure it complies with the store-policies. I can just picture updates & security updates lagging behind 2 months because the application needs reapproval.
No thanks. I'll just google, download a setup.exe and run the app thank you very much.
Now you might argue "How would you know that this download is safe and properly QAed?". That could be a fair point. But given how badly Apple has handled the AppStore with its rather limited set of applications, imagine if Microsoft were all of a sudden tasked to deal with the entire back-catalog of Windows software out there.
Do you honestly believe that could be reasonably QAed without Microsoft spending millions, millions and more millions in the process? And if they didn't people wouldn't bother using the store, since "I find all the software I need with google, and nothing with this AppStore thing".
Microsoft is making a pretty good move doing nothing here.
* Yes I know about package-management, repositories, etc etc. That still doesn't cut the need to custom compile applications from various non-official sources every now and then.
Re: Ask YC: why doesn't Microsoft have a Windows App Store?
#10I think a free market approach, accidently perhaps, worked for Windows. I don't like the idea of a central authority sanctioning any apps. Apple store has problems of its own. I don't use any Apple products, but i hear people complaining everyday how a certain app was pulled or rejected but iFart made it. I don't side with monopoly on this issue.
The idea of a central update place for all your apps still sounds appealing(like Ubuntu) though.