Microsoft Plans to Get All Top iOS/Android Apps on Windows Phone

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Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) has been spending huge amounts on marketing the Windows Phone, trying to gain market share in the highly competitive smartphone market currently dominated by Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS and Google‘s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android. A new internal plan which outlines Microsoft’s strategy to boost Windows Phone’s market share in terms of apps was revealed this week. [1] Microsoft’s marketing group is apparently trying to get all top iOS and Android developers to develop versions of their popular apps for Windows Phone as well, and has set aside a $10 million marketing budget to get them on board.

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Microsoft plans to bridge the app gap between Windows Phone and iOS/Android

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Though Windows Phone Marketplace now has more than 70,000 apps, the total app count is still much lower than what iOS and Android offer. Windows Phone also doesn’t have many top apps from developers who are present on iOS and Android, as it still offers just a fraction of the total reach and monetization potential that iOS and Android offer.

With its new plan to bridge the app gap, Microsoft plans to get the top 25 apps like Pandora, Bump and Instagram on Windows Phone. It also plans to promote competitors of these apps, if their developers refuse to develop Windows Phone. It also aims to get developers to build exclusive apps for Windows Phone, and use them to drive sales of its devices. Some Windows Phone apps are currently priced higher than their counterparts on iOS and Android. Microsoft also plans to address this, and get prices in line with other platforms.

If Microsoft is able to bridge the app gap between Windows Phone and other platforms, coupled with its initiative to invade the budget smartphone segment, it could lead to Microsoft’s Windows Phone becoming one of the top players in the smartphone market in the coming years.

Windows Phone, Xbox and other entertainment devices account for nearly 4% of Microsoft’s $38 Trefis price estimate, which stands nearly 20% above its market price.

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Notes:
  1. Microsoft’s plans to bridge the Windows Phone app gap revealed in leaked slides, The Verge []