The app selection that Microsoft originally claimed would be ready with the launch of Windows 8 has yet to really present itself, causing some problems for the overall adoption rate of the new OS. They have made a few different moves to combat this, from coding contests to direct outreaches to major content providers, but the most recent is particularly interesting. Anybody who successfully submits an app to either the Windows Store or Windows Phone Store will be getting $100 in the form of a Virtual Visa.
You can participate simply by publishing your app between March 8th and June 30th of this year. As many as twenty apps per developer will be counted (ten per store at most). Each app will be required to be distinct from the rest, so no reward for submitting the same thing with superficial changes under a number of different names. Only the first 10,000 apps that qualify will be included in this promo.
Participants are required to be residents of the United States over the age of 18. According to a blog from the Microsoft, this is a promotion being run by the US Marketting team that is unlikely to be extended outside of the United States.
The motivations here are fairly interesting, if you look at them closely.
Most of the immediate appeal will be for people who can pound out a simple app in very little time. This will probably fill some of the gaps in app coverage by building up a selection of free apps that handle basic tasks. Sometimes the ability to do something like keep your current IP address in a Live Tile for reference can be overlooked by developers if there seems to be no way to monetize. $100 isn’t much, but it helps.
There is also the issue of exposure. I would imagine that the most interested developers will be people new to the business in a lot of ways. Students and hobbyists who would love to make a little bit of guaranteed money off of their work, for example. By spreading around some money to build an experienced young developer base they can push for future projects to be built for the WinRT environment.
It seems a bit strange that they would be specifically restricting the number of apps that can be submitted to each Windows Store rather than just offering a blanket total. It is expected that Windows Blue, the upcoming update to Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, and more, will bring with it true cross-compatibility between desktop and mobile apps. Everything that is made for one will immediately be available for the other.
That’s probably just a matter of optimization. Apps developed for a 5” screen will be laid out slightly differently compared to apps that will run on a 30” screen. There are style guidelines in place that help minimize this, but in general Windows Phone 8 apps will always be more likely to fit in when viewed docked to the side of a screen than they will in fullscreen mode.
To sign up, head to http://www.buildforwindows.com/keepthecash
