Microsoft's efforts to woo developers to its phone platform seems to be paying off. By mid-November, the Windows Phone Marketplace had topped 40,000 apps, according to the site All About Windows Phone. About a third of them had been added in the previous month. Of the submissions, 85 percent were apps and 15 percent were games; 68 percent were free, 23 percent were paid and 9 percent were paid with a free trial. This shows just one of the many challenges Microsoft faces by coming so late to the smartphone party. By comparison, there are more than 500,000 apps for Apple's iOS system and more than 300,000 for Android. Research from IDC and Appcelerator, a maker of cross-platform development tools, last month indicated rising developer interest in Windows Phone 7, helped especially by Microsoft's partnership with Nokia. Interestingly enough, Nokia's Ovi Store is the only other app market with more than 50,000 offerings. Selecting one of the less-dominant platforms could be the ticket to success for individual apps and a better payday for developers, according to German market research firm research2guidance. It says that in the second quarter, the average app in Nokia’s Ovi Store had 160 percent more daily downloads than the average iOS app in Apple’s App Store. A Microsoft Windows Marketplace app had 80 percent more daily downloads, and those in RIM’s BlackBerry App World had 43 percent more, though RIM's user base continues to shrink. Microsoft Tops 40,000 Apps for Windows Phone
Microsoft's efforts to woo developers to its phone platform seems to be paying off. By mid-November, the Windows Phone Marketplace had topped 40,000 apps, according to the site All About Windows Phone. About a third of them had been added in the previous month. Of the submissions, 85 percent were apps and 15 percent were games; 68 percent were free, 23 percent were paid and 9 percent were paid with a free trial. This shows just one of the many challenges Microsoft faces by coming so late to the smartphone party. By comparison, there are more than 500,000 apps for Apple's iOS system and more than 300,000 for Android. Research from IDC and Appcelerator, a maker of cross-platform development tools, last month indicated rising developer interest in Windows Phone 7, helped especially by Microsoft's partnership with Nokia. Interestingly enough, Nokia's Ovi Store is the only other app market with more than 50,000 offerings. Selecting one of the less-dominant platforms could be the ticket to success for individual apps and a better payday for developers, according to German market research firm research2guidance. It says that in the second quarter, the average app in Nokia’s Ovi Store had 160 percent more daily downloads than the average iOS app in Apple’s App Store. A Microsoft Windows Marketplace app had 80 percent more daily downloads, and those in RIM’s BlackBerry App World had 43 percent more, though RIM's user base continues to shrink. 
