Windows Marketplace taking app submissions on July 27, coming to WinMo 6.0 and 6.1 later this year

Windows Mobile devs should start dotting their I's and crossing their T's, because Microsoft's going to be ready to take a good, hard look at their latest and greatest apps come the 27th of this month when the company finally swings open the doors to the submission processes for inclusion in the Windows Marketplace. The announcement has been made at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference this week as it gears up for an onslaught of devices running WinMo 6.5 at retail later this year, though the retail channel might not be where much of the action lies; unlike the Apple App Store, the Android Market, Palm's App Catalog and others, Microsoft is putting major emphasis on a segment of Windows Marketplace it's calling the Business Center where corporate-focused apps and utilities will have a place to live. Boring, yes -- but probably also very profitable in the business fleet market segment where WinMo tends to thrive.

Though the company had previously indicated that Windows Marketplace would be a 6.5 exclusive, we've got great news for legacy device owners who don't expect to get an upgrade: Microsoft has also announced today that the Marketplace will be coming to WinMo 6.0 and 6.1 before the year's out. Considering that 6.5 won't be hitting the street until fall, that's not too bad of a wait; now all it needs is a rich catalog of great software to go along with the great hardware some of its partners are producing, right?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 21st 2009 1:17PM]

Can't Microsoft even come up with just one original idea?? How embarrassing must it be to be them?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 16th 2009 11:50AM]

Why come up with original ideas when companies like Apple are proving time and time again, stealing others ideas and forcing them onto your willing consumers is infinitely more profitable?

We'll ignore all the thousands of original ideas MS have had, because they're no where near as good at making original ideas profitable as others are at making stolen ideas profitable.

Never mind that there was a serious problem for MS if they moved into this area like Apple has first, they would have faced EU and US anti-competition lawsuits. As a result, they have to come up with the more original idea of not forcing their customers to only download applications from their store.

Anyway, don't trip over surface or project natal on your way out.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 15th 2009 2:04AM]

Wow. They made a store, and you flame them for copying. Selling items to users of a service is hardly new - you could even go so far to say that people have been doing it for thousands of years!

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 15th 2009 11:38AM]

I wonder how many of the apps will be new or revised and how many will be the same apps sold outside of the Windows Market place already available.