Windows Phone news is always a mixed bag because you never know if you’re going to see something positive about how the OS is doing or something suggesting Microsoft has a problem on its hands. In this case, unfortunately, it’s the latter. As part of the official unveiling of the Nokia Lumia 928 for Verizon this morning, the folks in Redmond slipped in some revealing stats about the Windows Phone Store: it now has 145,000 apps in it.
Worded in that way, that sounds like a pretty decent accomplishment. It’s a relatively new platform and it has 145,000 apps available to its users. Sweet. The problem arises when you look at past milestones and when they occurred. The Windows Phone Store hit 100,000 apps last June. That means in the 11 months that have gone by, the store has gained only 45,000 new apps.
Before the 100,000 milestone, Windows Phone was able to double its number of apps in 6 months. Now in the 11 months that have passed afterward, the number of apps have increased by 45 percent. That’s a real slow-down in growth.
The good news is Windows Phone 8 seems to gain a tiny bit more spotlight every day, so Microsoft is doing something right. However, smartphones nowadays are all about apps, and lacking developer interest could pose a significant threat to Windows Phone’s future. I’m sure Microsoft is not naive to this possibility, so we’ll have to keep an eye out for any initiatives the company might take to increase the number of Windows Phone apps.