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desktop applications and distributed through the Internet or other retail channels. 78
More generally, because Windows Store apps run full screen or with at most one other visible app,
they are intended to be much more specifically focused on certain tasks. Apps that try to do too
much—Swiss Army Knife apps, if you will—may end up feeling cumbersome or confusing. It’s good to
hone the purpose of the app, as discussed in Planning Windows Store apps; otherwise you should
probably implement a desktop app instead (for which there is still a very large market, mind you!).
When planning any app, be sure to review the Windows 8 app certification requirements to
understand whether the app you’re thinking about will be summarily rejected during the onboarding
process. Examples include apps that contain gratuitous violence, hate, adult content, solicitations, and
so forth, as well as apps that consume an inordinate amount of battery power, attempt to just
repackage a website as an app, or clearly don’t add value to the Store as a whole. So, if you’re thinking
to submit the next great bodily-functions-sound-effects app, you might think again.
Also be aware that the Store policies can change over time, so be sure to check them anew before
you start any new project.
A final consideration is whether the Windows Store is itself available in a target market when you
plan to release your app—the Store will be rolled out to different markets over time. Unfortunately,
there is not a published schedule for that rollout; you'll need to watch for announcements. There might
also be restrictions on whether you can submit an app to certain locales based on where you operate as
a developer. This information is again best found on the Store developer portal.
Planning for Monetization (or Not)
Just as there are a number of reasons why you’re interested in creating apps in the first place, there are
also a number of ways to fulfill your business goals. Will your app be completely free? Will it be free but
supported by ads? Will it be paid, with or without a trial version? Will it involve in-app purchases? Each
of these business models has its place, especially if you plan on releasing multiple apps. Furthermore, it’s
likely that your business model or models will change over time as you improve your apps and respond
to competition.
In this section, we’ll explore at these different models and better understand how they relate to one
another. 79 Remember in this whole context that licenses for apps and in-app purchases are granted to
the user and will apply across up to five devices. This isn’t typically a concern for apps because the
details are automatically handled by the Store—if the user attempts to install the app on a sixth device,
Windows will instruct him or her to remove the app from a machine.
78 With developer tools, it’s feasible that a Windows Store app could itself provide an interpreted runtime environment for
developing apps that would always run inside that tool. A Windows Store app cannot, however, directly produce another
Windows Store app because the necessary packaging and deployment APIs are only available to desktop apps.
79 Another general overview that includes details on pricing can be found on Making money with your apps through the
Windows Store on the Windows 8 Developer Blog.
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