Microsoft launches developer incentive programme for Windows 8

Software giant tries to encourage coders to make Metro-style apps, allowing authors to keep 80 per cent of their revenue, compared with 70 per cent on Apple's App Store

Microsoft has launched an incentive programme designed to encourage developers to make Metro-style apps for Windows 8, which is itself just months from launch.

The scheme, promoted on Microsoft's "Generation App" site, is called "30 to launch", in reference to the firm's claim that apps can be developed and released in just 30 days.

Aware that it is competing with established markets like Google Play and Apple's App Store, Microsoft is offering app developers up to 80 per cent of the revenue their software generates. The App Store by contrast only allows app authors to keep 70 per cent of their revenue through the "iOS Developer Program".

Microsoft is also trying to encourage developers to move over to its platform by offering the freedom either to use the Windows store commerce platform or to handle payments separately.

"You can work with your own commerce platform provider, completely independent of the Windows Store. It's up to you," said Mark Hindsbo, vice-president US developer platform evangelism at Microsoft in a YouTube video embedded in the site.

Throughout the video Microsoft pushed its message claiming that it operates the "largest platform in the world".

"More than one billion PCs around the world are being used today," said Hindsbo. "That includes more than 600 million Windows 7 licenses," he added.

Microsoft is also offering what it terms an "app excellence lab", a service whereby developers can get one-on-one guidance from a Microsoft services engineer. Hindsbo said that engineers can help with app design, testing or just answer developers' questions.

However, the small print on the site reveals that all of these offers are only available to US-based developers, and even then it will only provide 250 design consultations and 500 technical review consultations per month, on a first come first served basis.

There is also a limit of one session of each offer type per person.

The terms also state that the offer ends when supplies – by which it presumably means engineers – are "exhausted".