Microsoft has a new initiative offering cash to any developer that submits a new app for Windows 8 or Windows Phone, The Verge reports.
How much cash, you might ask? $100. Oh, but you're eligible to receive up to $2000. If you submit 20 unique apps, ten for Windows 8 and ten for Windows Phone. Yeah, right.
But this is nothing new. BlackBerry guaranteed at least $10,000 to developers, while Nokia has launched similar campaigns in the past.
Apparently meant to spur some type of gold rush, yet it completely misses the mark. Why would someone take the time and money to develop for Windows Phone? Does the promise of $100 really change that? Does a developer who is going to spend months developing an app, and subsequent months or years supporting that app, really get excited about $100?
Meanwhile, Android is attractive in terms of market share and the wide range of devices it supports. iOS has the highest benchmark for quality and what you want: customers that will pay good money.
When Apple launched the App Store in 2008, they partnered with KPCB to launch iFund, an investment of a guaranteed $200 million to support app development.
If you're going to bother doing it, at least do it right.