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For Microsoft, the application (apps) ecosystem remains an important segment; a differentiator through which it aims at increased adoption of its smartphone operating system (OS).
Compared to Android’s marketplace which has over 20 billion applications; Windows have just 1.5 lakh. But Kattayil Rajinish Menon, Director, App Ecosystem & Startup Strategy , is hopeful of increased adoption “soon”.
According to him, Windows is already the second most-preferred smartphone OS (in India) and is also in talks with Indian vendors. Excerpts:
How big is the app-ecosystem for Microsoft?
It’s a big bet for us. The consumption pattern (usage) of apps across consumers in India and abroad is a different ballgame.
One of the major issues that Microsoft faced in the initial days of its smartphone operating system was the absence of apps. Has it been resolved?
We will. It is only a matter of time. When we entered the market, we were new entrants. We took the legacy learning of other people and came up with a new platform.
Today, many consumers are latching on to Windows platform and this has made it an attractive proposition for developers. So, in any market Windows OS is amongst the top three.
So right now what is the growth of apps on your platform?
We have around 1.5 lakh. But I don’t have exact numbers (on growth rates). But, we achieved this number (of 1.5 lakh developers) within two years. Our competition took multi-years to get there.
Adoption of Microsoft OS across handsets remains limited to a handful of vendors, especially in India. Android dominates. When is the adoption expected?
It will come. In India, there are studies to suggest that the number two smartphone OS in India is Windows (after Android). As you see adoption by consumers, you’ll see hardware vendors chipping-in. But right now, it’s true that there are a couple of hardware vendors in India with Nokia being the largest. World-over we have all the major hardware vendors.
How long will change in India come?
Soon. But I cannot put a time-frame to it.
So how important are the home-grown players in your strategy?
For us, India is one of the priority markets. So the Indian vendors become important. We are talking to some of them (Indian vendors) in terms of adoption; but I cannot name them.
App developers are also worried about monetising their offerings. How viable is Microsoft’s OS in this regard?
Our incentive programme is much higher than what our competitors offer. We offer around 80 per cent of the revenues to the app developer (normally the ratio is 70:30 in favour of app developers).
Secondly, if you look at the Windows ecosystem, we have over 700 million installation of Windows 7. If we compare the re-trials of the old systems like XP, the opportunity will be huge. The number of consumers using a Windows device will be much higher than other platforms. Developers will get a market. That is what Microsoft is providing. That’s why you’ll see a larger number of developers coming onto the Windows platform despite us being late entrants.
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