Good news for those awaiting Windows 8 – the beta version of the OS to come out soon after the upcoming Valentine Week
This February, Microsoft is going to unveil two landmark releases – the public beta version of Windows 8, and the Windows Store. While the former is highly awaited, the latter shall be another great product from the software giant. Microsoft made an official announcement on the release in the Windows Store Preview event at San Francisco, recently.
The Windows 8 Beta would be available for all users probably in the last week of February. Microsoft states that a limited number of developers would be invited to apply for a two-year free subscription, so that they can submit free apps. However, once the final version is launched, the developers would be required to buy a yearly subscription of US$ 49 (for individuals) or US$ 99 (for businesses), before they can sell their apps. The news is expected to delight the users and the developers alike.
On a similar note, Windows Store is going to be another happy surprise for the people. The innovative approach by Microsoft would give a tough competition to the Mac App Store, the image of which has been recently marred by criticism because of Apple’s non-transparent ways of approving the apps submitted by the developers.
Microsoft has set a threshold of US$ 25,000 in total revenue, during which it would give the developers a share of 70 percent on every dollar earned through the apps.
After it reaches the threshold amount, the share would increase to 80 percent a dollar. Developers can quote the price for an app from US$ 1.49 onwards. The increments can go up in multiples of US$ 0.50 amounting up to US$ 5.
More details, the terms of use, technical requirements, etc for the Windows Store are available on the official Microsoft Blog webpage.
