Apps wanted

[Tam_Surface]

My hope is that the Windows app store is on track to provide a tablet experience that competes with Android and iOS.

I'm contacting the companies who make some of my most commonly used apps and asking about their plans.

Stitcher, Pandora, and Redfin responded quickly. They each thanked me for the suggestion and said that they do not have any plans to make a Windows app.

Instead of acting all defensive ("the app store is young" and "you can do everything on PC anyhow" (so untrue - just try depositing a check to your bank), or my personal favorite, "people who haven't seen what is possible with iOS and Android apps wont know the difference", I'd like to see MS acknowledge that this is a weak area and a competitive disadvantage that they are working to fix. I'd like to know that instead of sit back and wait, they are targeting top app makers with technical support and incentives.

Have you contacted any app making companies? What kind of responses are you getting?

 

[goodintentions]

No excuse here.

For the longest time MS was counting on quantity over quality. There were thousands of scam apps. They only started weeding out those apps after articles were written about them.

During this time, I submitted an update to my app adding a speech to text ability. The submission was rejected. Reason? The tester couldn't understand why I included this feature in my app. It was obvious they were pushing me to create a separate app for that feature rather than include it in my existing app. I resubmitted the same thing with a long explanation for the new feature and several scenarios when it might be useful. The app finally got certified over a week later.

I know it's just my anecdotal experience, but what it tells me is during that time they didn't care about the quality of individual apps and they were pushing developers to crank out 20 crap apps rather than nurture 5 really good apps.

All you have to do is look at related apps to my app. The devs behind those apps have published dozens of crap apps. And as a test, a few weeks ago I emailed half a dozen of them asking for support of their apps. So far, not a single one of them has emailed me back. That, ladies and gents, are the kind of developers that plague the winstore right now. I call them hit-and-run developers. They publish dozens of crap apps and never ever respond to user emails.

What's my point? I think the average windows store user has gotten so used to these crap apps and hit-and-run developers that their standards have been lowered to such a ridiculously low level.

My evidence for this is several people who have emailed me for support of my word processor app have told me they were surprised when I responded. They were used to never getting a reply at all.

MS really needs to move away from the quantity-over-quality model and start encouraging developers to actually care about what they publish. Until then, the winstore is not an attractive place for developers who actually care.

 

[Tam_Surface]

Thanks goodintentions. You help shed light on why things are in the shape they are in.

Hey MS, how about populating our screens with a link that emails a request to the maker when we search for apps that we want but cannot find?

 

[goodintentions]

Thanks goodintentions. You help shed light on why things are in the shape they are in.

Hey MS, how about populating our screens with a link that emails a request to the maker when we search for apps that we want but cannot find?

I hope you realize this is not an official MS forum and that I doubt there is anyone from MS watching this place.

I've complained to MS directly many times. Don't worry, you're not the only one who thinks there is something wrong with the way they do things.

 

[jnjroach]

We have 3 or 4 Microsoft employees within our community....

 

[goodintentions]

We have 3 or 4 Microsoft employees within our community....

Oh, I didn't know that. Who are they?

Added by edit.

In that case, let me ask this question. Win8 came out in 2012, yes? We are quickly approaching 2015 and there's still no api for ppt or pptx view or edit. Why not? I've been trying to write my own, and I'm struggling here.

 

[jnjroach]

It is up to those members to out themselves... not for me to do it. My understanding is the Office XML file format is open....

For the record, I don't work for MS, but MS is one of my customers and I'm a MVP.

 

[silkrooster]

Is there a thread on this forum for developers? I would like to get more into it and it would be nice to hear how hard or easy it is to get set up. I already have VS 2010 and with that a few years in on programming. But, I would eventually like to go commercial and I would prefer to create good apps that seam to be lacking. I know I need to update for the windows store, but it may take awhile. I need to feel more confident in my skills.

 

[leeshor]

Is there a thread on this forum for developers? I would like to get more into it and it would be nice to hear how hard or easy it is to get set up. I already have VS 2010 and with that a few years in on programming. But, I would eventually like to go commercial and I would prefer to create good apps that seam to be lacking. I know I need to update for the windows store, but it may take awhile. I need to feel more confident in my skills.

There isn't a spccific thread for developers. (but there is this subforum for hacking and development. As you can see, it isn't all that active. The main purpose of the forum is for Surface owners to provide assistance to other Surface owners. There are specific threads on some developer apps like VS.

 

[goodintentions]

Is there a thread on this forum for developers? I would like to get more into it and it would be nice to hear how hard or easy it is to get set up. I already have VS 2010 and with that a few years in on programming. But, I would eventually like to go commercial and I would prefer to create good apps that seam to be lacking. I know I need to update for the windows store, but it may take awhile. I need to feel more confident in my skills.

You need to get vs 2013 express. It is free. There may be some who will tell you anything less than the most expensive is lacking. I assure you it is perfectly adequate for you. Do a search for modern word processor in the windows store. Play around with the trial. 95% of it was written with express.

 

[silkrooster]

Thanks...

 

[Kif]

As I have mentioned before the selection of Apps for Windows is pathetic. For me it really kills the tablet experience. I'm not an software developer but I have some thoughts how Microsoft could get back into the game. Not that anyone is asking.

1. Provide excellent App developer tools for free. (No brainier here)
2. Lots of contests for developers to compete in for best Apps in different categories.
3. Provide development tools that non coders can use to create apps. (iOS examples include Codea, GamePress, Pythonista, Pixelpress)
4. Take a very small revenue fee from developers
5. Provide free App of the week where Microsoft pays the developer a fee to freely distribute the App
6. Simplify the process to get Apps listed in the Windows App Store
7. Clean out the existing crap in the Windows App Store
8. Internally develop some excellent apps to raise the bar
9. Create an open source endeavor