At the launch of Windows Phone 7 yesterday, we asked Microsoft what we can expect to see from the app marketplace when Windows Phone 7 devices start getting into the hands of consumers on 21 October. Alex Reeve, who heads up Windows Phone 7 in the UK, was reluctant to give us any solid figures on the number of apps that would be available at launch, but said evasively that it was “a lot”.
Reeve also said that it would take Windows Phone 7 “a while to get close to Apple’s numbers”, but also didn’t seem to see the great distance Windows Phone 7 has to travel in terms of its content as very much of a problem.
Windows Phone 7 has managed to get some big players on board in terms of games and app content though, which are often going to end up integrated on Windows Phone 7 devices. EA games were announced as being on baord, but as yet there’s no hard information on what games will be available, as the full list is still being decided, except Need for Speed and Sims.
Microsoft seem to be placing the emphasis on having good apps rather than a lot of apps. Microsoft has also worked with a number of companies and partners so that it will have big brand apps ready to go when consumers get their Windows Phone 7 devices. In the UK there are around 15-20 of these partners, and the apps are largely designed to fit with the look of the rest of the Windows Phone 7 interface. While we couldn’t get a full list of these partners, Tesco, eBay and MSN are included.
What apps do you want to see on Windows Phone 7? Can Microsoft catch up with the big boys in terms of content? Drop us a line in the comments and let us know!
