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Microsoft's mobile apps store goes live

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By Dave Stevenson

Posted on 5 Oct 2009 at 13:18

Microsoft has launched its competitor to Apple's App Store, Windows Marketplace Live, but first impressions of the service are underwhelming.

The Microsoft store is designed along similar lines to Apple's. Split into categories such as Entertainment, Productivity and Business Center, you can use your Windows Live ID to download and install applications. The Marketplace launched this morning, a day ahead of the global launch of Windows Mobile 6.5.

The library of apps is currently unimpressive, however. Windows Marketplace Live currently appears to have only 40 applications on our test handset, including PAC-MAN (£5.19), Mastersoft Money V6 (£9.69) and a world clock called WorldTime (£7.50).

When the Marketplace was announced in February, a Microsoft spokesperson claimed there were would 20,000 applications available for Windows Mobile. PC Pro is awaiting word from Microsoft's PR on where the other 19,960 are.

Even if all 20,000 do appear for the official launch, the Microsoft store will still have a long way to go before it catches up with Apple. The iPhone App Store has more than 85,000 applications and has clocked-up more than two billion downloads, according to Apple.

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User comments

Quality, not quantity

There may be 85,000 apps for the iPhone, but it might as well be 8,500 or 85,000,000. There is so much duplication and filler, that I bet that huge majority's downloads can be measured in single figures.

By The_Scrote on 5 Oct 2009

Yeah, the iPhone undoubtedly has lots of clever apps but there must be thousands of nonsense.

I've lost count of the number of people who show me the pint of beer app which they then drink, thinking they are the first people to download it. Or the zippo lighter.

It's all rather sad.

By Grunthos on 5 Oct 2009

At the moment it appears to be exclusively for users of Windows Mobile 6.5. I presume Microsoft will be addressing this in the near future?

By jgwilliams on 6 Oct 2009

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