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Microsoft butters up developers to avoid Marketplace race-to-the-bottom

'Your apps are worth more than that'

Microsoft butters up developers to avoid Marketplace race-to-the-bottom
As Microsoft prepares to launch the Windows Marketplace - its answer to the iPhone's App Store - this autumn, the software giant is making an effort to discourage developers from following the budget pricing trend seen on Apple's platform.

"Yes, consumers like to pay 99 cents for applications," says Microsoft's Loke Uei, Mobile-Ent reports. "But 99 cents, come on, I think your app is worth more than that."

Worth it or not, the huge selection of budget software is undoubtedly a significant part of the iPhone's success, though it seems Microsoft isn't forcibly prohibiting sub-dollar pricing as its Blackberry rival has done by setting the bottom tier at $2.99.

"It's up to you [how you] play your pricing, but we would definitely want to promote that you make more money selling applications than selling your application in a dollar store."

Yes. Spanner's his real name. And, yes, he's heard that joke before.