Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 17th Sep 2009 21:15 UTC, submitted by Hakime
Yesterday we ran an editorial about Microsoft's failing policies in the mobile space, and today, we have an assorted collection of stories that only strengthen this perception. The upcoming Marketplace for Windows Mobile has a number of rigorous restrictions, the Zune lives in a bubble of its own, and free applications for the Zune come with full-screen video advertisements. There are also a few things Microsoft seems to be doing right, however. Instant update: Another Windows-based mobile phone platform. I actually want that one, though.
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Member since:
2005-07-17
This last point makes all the other points about the Marketplace rather moot. Microsoft is clearly following Palm's model of allowing users to install whatever applications they want via whatever means they want on their own phones.
Android was following this business model before Palm Pre was released.
But being pedantic aside, one thing I've always praised Windows Mobile for (in fact probably the only thing I praised it for) was the ease at which you could install 3rd party apps on it.
On a related note: given how expensive Marketplace is and how easy it is to manually install apps - I really can't see developers uptake on Marketplace being anywhere near as successful as Android or the iPhones.
In fact, I think the only thing that could sell the Marketplace now would be the weight of the name "Microsoft". "
The whole point of the Apple App store is that the model of "wild west" development doesn't work for mobile apps. You get poorly written apps with no QC running amok all over the device. Sure it's nice for devs "to do whatever they want". But when the "order" is chaos all the developers resort to writing exactly the same resource-intensive, poor UI apps they write for Windows... in other words, without rigorous following of some rules for development, developers will just keep repeating the same software from 1995 instead of using the new modern tools their given.