14 DAY TRIAL // This year, Microsoft has seen a great increase in app submissions for the Windows Phone platform, and also managed to increase the amount of available software through the Windows Phone Store by 75,000 new applications.
Owners of devices running under Microsoft’s mobile operating system can now download and / or purchase more than twice the number of applications that were available for their devices a year ago.
The app storefront was also made available for people in more markets around the world. The developer portal expanded its reach as well, so that more applications could be made available through the Store.
According to Microsoft’s Todd Brix, this is due to a continuous investment that the Redmond-based software giant has made in the Windows Phone Store.
“As a direct result of our investments, Windows Phone customers now download, buy, and use more apps than at any time since we first launched Windows Phone 7 two years ago,” he notes in a blog post.
“On average Windows Phone users have downloaded 54 apps each to personalize their phone experience around the people and information they care about most.”
Windows Phone users also enjoyed over 300,000 app updates this year, while also being able to take advantage of new discovery features in the storefront.
“Over the last year we’ve made a lot of discovery enhancements including Bing-powered search and smart lists, as well as new collections and recommendations for Windows Phone 8 customers,” Brix explains.
At the same time, the purchasing experience has been enhanced through the addition of new payment methods, including PayPal and Alipay, and through doubling the number of operator deals that result in carrier billing opportunities for users.
Applications available for the platform were also enhanced with new capabilities, including the possibility to deliver information straight to the phone’s Start Screen, through Live Tiles and Live Apps.
“Based on customer feedback, 85% of Windows Phone 8 users indicate they would choose Live Apps over those without. It’s our job to empower you with the tools and APIs to build these unique experiences,” Brix concluded.