The naysayers are coming out of the woodwork to cast doubt on Steve Ballmer’s Windows 8 app strategy.
Windows 8 gets its official debut later this month but with just weeksto go, critics are deriding the lack of apps available for Microsoft’snew operating system.
In our source story from Computerworld,at least one analyst iscritical of the fact that CEO Ballmer only started publicly courtingapp developers for Windows 8 last week. Is it too little too late? Itmight be, according to analyst Patrick Moorehead of Moor Insights& Strategy.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer hasn’tdone enough to woo developers to Windows 8, critics say. (Photo:Microsoft)
Moorehead says Microsoft needs to have at least 5,000 apps inits new Windows 8 app store to make a respectable showing after the newoperatingsystem launches. To date, it looks like only half that number of appsare available in the app store.
If Ballmer and team fail to boost the number of Windows 8 apps outthere, it could seem like a repeat of the PlayBook launch fiasco atResearchand Motion when users complained about the dearth of apps available forRIM’s tablet. Recent research isn’t putting a rosy hue on Ballmer’sattempt to woo developers; only 33 per cent of mobile developerssurveyed in late August by Appcelerator and IDC said they are “veryinterested” indeveloping for Windows 8 tablets compared with 85 per cent for iOS and83 per cent for Android.