Microsoft unveiled the Windows 8 app store last night, giving several details and saying that it would be launching in beta February 2012.
At that time, Windows developers can submit their apps to be sold in the store. A developer account costs $49.
But the most interesting news came in the financial details, namely what cut developers could get for selling their apps and what prices they could sell their apps at.
Unlike paid Android and iPhone applications which start at 99 cents, the base price for Windows apps is $1.49. Apps can be sold for as much as $999.
Microsoft plans to take a 30 percent cut of a developer’s app’s proceeds as a toll for using the platform. But the most exciting part for developers is that after you do your first $25,000 in sales, Microsoft will reduce its cut to 20 percent, thereby encouraging developers to make quality, top-selling apps.
Similarly to rivals, Microsoft will institute a 30 percent tariff on in-app purchases, but with one big difference. Their 30 percent cut will only be taken if the app uses the Windows 8 billing system. If a developer use PayPal or a proprietary payment processing system, they reap all the benefits of in-app purchases.
From the perspective of end users, the Windows 8 app store has a few standout features, too–one being that you can test out an app before you pay for it. If you like, but it, and keep your progress, profiles, etc. from the demo version.
