$1.49. Not $.99. That will be the cost of apps on the Windows 8 store.* Microsoft, in order to encourage app developers to make Windows 8 Apps, will be charging consumers more, but giving Windows 8 developers more for their product.

A Developers Dream?
Apple showed how successful the Apple store was for delivering state of the art Apps to consumers. Developers were very happy. But with Windows 8 developers will have the opportunity to do some different things not currently available with Apps. For instance, developers can choose to release free apps, and support them with in-app purchases. Also, Windows 8 will allow seven-day trial periods for users to test paid apps before purchasing them.*According to a Microsoft blog, Apps that pursue a trial period marketing process have earned as much as five times as much as apps that don’t.



Then there is the percent of sale issue. Microsoft will get 30% of the sales generated by an app, but if it turns out to be a successful commercial app, they will lower their take to 20%, so developers can earn more. Plus the app can contain free advertising if the developer want to offer the free app.

Break Even
Being an app developer takes talent. It also takes time to develop and time to make any money on the app. Earning money with Windows Phone app is small, *just about $1,234 per month. Compare that almost $3,700 per month for what an iOS developer can expect, *and it is still *less than the $2,735 an average that an Android app makes. Further, it takes a Windows Phone developer more than a year, about 14 months, to break even, and that is double the time earning period for iOS developers. *This is why Microsoft is even paying developers to write apps.

Microsoft is App Develop Friendly
Earlier this year, the New York Times reported that Microsoft offered to underwrite Windows Phone app development in order to get developers to inject their talents on the Windows Phone market. Has this been successful? Well *Business Week reported that Microsoft has 100,000 apps in its Windows Phone library. So they must be doing something right.

The Windows 8 function
Behind the change in app marketing is the concern that Windows 8 will not be cutting edge enough, so users are going to skip the program and stick to Windows 7 or worse go to the iPad or some other tablet. Because the publicity tied around Windows 8 is astronomical, meaning that almost everyone has an opinion about it, “it’s great or it s#cks.” Microsoft is taking multiple approaches to making the Windows 8 OS a success before the release occurs. Windows 8 App development is one.
Source ReadWriteWeb

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