Application Updates on Marketplace, are now free :)

marketplace

Most of you must have heard about the news today about what we’re announcing at CTIA. Here’s a quick summary:

  1. Designer Themes, working with Isaac Mizrahi and others.
  2. Online theme editor
  3. Application partners – Gameloft, Facebook, Myspace, Accuweather
  4. Marketplace Refunds
  5. Marketplace Carrier billing
  6. Free application updates

So that means, for the first year, $99 for 5 Applications, $99 for each additional application. Unlimited free upgrades for each application. See, we do listen.

More links to other news:

https://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN3036207520090331?sp=true

https://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12261_7-10207621-51.html?tag=newsLatestHeadlinesArea.0

https://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9130755&intsrc=news_ts_head

https://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090331-700017.html

https://www.engadget.com/2009/03/31/microsoft-announces-windows-marketplace-partners-tweaked-polici

https://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/297510/facebook_app_return_policy_come_windows_mobile

https://www.moconews.net/entry/419-ctia-microsofts-marketplace-will-have-carrier-billing-facebook-wallpape/

https://www.techflash.com/Facebook_Netflix_EA_among_new_Windows_Mobile_apps_42170142.html

Comments

  • Anonymous
    March 30, 2009
    PingBack from http://blog.a-foton.ru/index.php/2009/03/31/application-updates-on-marketplace-are-now-free/

  • Anonymous
    March 31, 2009
    I would have preffered the paid updates version. This would avoid cheap competition based on $0.99 per product and making updates every 2 days just to bump the product.

  • Anonymous
    March 31, 2009
    I think the free upgrades announcement is great news.  You can easily filter out people bumping products with regular, useless updates.

  • Anonymous
    March 31, 2009
    Well, having to pay for updating my own app in the store was ridiculous anyway! This isn't good news this is the way it should always have been. But I still think $99 for 5 apps is a bit too much.. and $99 for every additional app! give developers some slack!

  • Anonymous
    March 31, 2009
    > See, we do listen. The space of bad ideas is too big to be explored by trial and error. Regards, tamberg

  • Anonymous
    March 31, 2009
    Looks that the good news that Loke Uei Tan mentioned the otherday is that updates of your application

  • Anonymous
    May 17, 2009
    This is a good start however there are other more worrying issues with the plans for marketplace IMO. Firstly the fact that it is only available for WM6.5, why could MS not make Marketplace an application that was available for install on all WM6.x devices? By not doing so the appeal to small developers must be vastly reduced, why spend $99 now to register to a scheme now that is unlikely to deliver significant potential customers for at least 12 months? More importantly still is the fact that the people who've been the lifeblood of the WM development scene for so long have basically received a slap in the face, so many devs create nothing but free apps for WM but MS are now suggesting that they pay for the privelige of doing so. Yes they can still distribute outside of the Marketplace but who wins in that scenario. Surely the advantages of bringing these guys into the fold are there for all to see? The consumer wins as he has more choice in the new recognised distribution scheme and less need to look at other more confusing routes to get apps for their device, the developer wins as he has an easy way in to the marketplace to get his application recognised by (eventually) a wider audience, MS wins as not only do they get all these creative minds firmly on side but they also benefit from these free apps going through the vetting procedure (ultimately also benefitting and developing the developer!) which should mean better behaved apps, not to mention the fact that these apps will help raise the popularity of the Marketplace. Oh and who knows, some of the free app devs may also graduate to creating paid for apps in time which opens up more revenue for the Redmond Behemoth. MS already make it difficult enough to get started coding for WM by prescribing Visual Studio without putting more hurdles in the way, and yes I have heard through podcasts and interviews about the DreamSpark and BizSpark schemes but whilst DreamSpark may capture the younger end of the market BizSpark doesn't provide an answer for lone coders looking to try their hand at coding WM apps.