...as if a million geeks all suddenly called out “no”.

Well it looks like Microsoft is just going to copy Apple, yet again.

We just got out of a meeting with Microsoft’s Todd Higgs, who dropped a little bombshell on us: the only official way to get apps on a Windows Phone 7 Series device will be to download them from the just-detailed Windows Phone Marketplace. That means developers will have to abide by Microsoft’s technical and content guidelines in order to make it in, with the very real possibility of rejection—sound familiar? Todd told us Microsoft plans to avoid Apple-style submission headaches by making the process transparent and predictable, with a group of Microsoft execs regularly meeting to examine edge cases and refine the guidelines as needed, but even the best intentions can be led astray by a sexy app or two. We also got some additional details on Marketplace and how it’s going to work, catch the highlights after the break.

Engadget has the details…

BTW good luck with those meetings guys… It’s a minefield.

This is not about managers having a meeting about edge cases - if MS really thinks that, they’ll be heading for a deeply embarrassing privacy and security breach by an app that seemed to be comfortably inside the guidelines.

But MS’s real problem will be that this is still Windows CE, just with a Flash-like overlay to make it look cute, now with zero installed base against its iPhone and Android direct competitors with tens or even hundreds of millions.

Microsoft needs to grow revenue. This is about revenue - nothing more, nothing less.

The problem is, as said above, the company is finding its way to the starting gate after its horse has already been lapped.

My oh my, the zunephone is about to get its own shiny zunestore. Ballmer is trying to play catch-up again, reminiscing on the good-old days when Microsoft leaped ahead and built its OS monopoly. Only he keeps forgetting that there’s a bunch of other guys in the room now - stronger, more nimble, and already leaving MS in the dust.

Personally, I’m more worried about Google as a competitor to Apple than Microsoft. MS has really turned into a joke.

Hamourabi linked to this in another thread, but it’s a brilliant piece and applies here as well: http://counternotions.com/2010/03/16/choice/

Microsoft trying to be Apple, while Google trying to be Microsoft…

...and to add insult to injury… there will be no cut and paste in WM7.

rattyuk - 17 March 2010 08:28 AM

...and to add insult to injury… there will be no cut and paste in WM7.

Well, as Bertrand Serlet used to say, “Redmond, start your photocopiers” - but apparently Microsoft submitted their “borrowed” copy of Apple’s blueprints to Kinko’s well before the iPhone 3.0 update. Said a Microsoft spokesman, “The binding’s already in, too late to add the missing pages”