Engadget took time out to sit down with Bryan Biniak, VP and General Manager of Global Partner and App Development at Nokia, to ask about app development on Windows Phone. Since today was also the UK launch of JobLens, as well as a new partnership with Entrepreneur First to help fuel mobile innovation in young minds seeking to start new businesses.
Biniak explained how the Windows Phone ecosystem is growing quickly and most-wanted apps are more the question of "when?" and not "if only."
"We're not having a single conversation with anybody, of any material application that's out there, that isn't going to be coming to the platform. It's not a matter of if -- I had those conversations, the "if" conversations, before -- all of our conversations now are "when." It's maturing, and it's time to come in. By the end of the year, there'll be very few, if any key applications that aren't in the development pipeline... or published."
While there are gaps in the catalogue of apps for Windows Phone, developers who support the platform have shown consumers that just because an app isn't official, doesn't mean it's not worth the time checking out. A perfect example of this would be 6Sec by Rudy Huyn, an unofficial Vine app. That said, it's always good to have the backing of larger brands.
Biniak also touched on Google, who has displayed a lack of will to support Microsoft's mobile platform, ignoring its own consumers who utilise Google products and own a Windows Phone. "They are doing themselves a disservice by not being on every screen," explains Biniak. "That will get resolved over time, but as consumer demand builds, they're not going to have an option."
Microsoft and Nokia have managed to secure partnerships and deals for Windows Phone that have introduced unique experiences for consumers. The Windows Phone Store will continue to grow with official and popular apps arriving, which are already available on other platforms. Many companies and developers are already looking at Windows Phone as yet another screen to get their work published on. As Biniak rightfully stated, it's simply a matter of when?
Source: Engadget; thanks, cyber_k9, for the tip!
