As you may have heard, Microsoft has recently moved to merge their app stores into one Windows App Store. This merge may not make much of a difference to end users, but what does it mean for developers?
What it DOES mean:
Cheaper, faster, easier! Now you only need one developer account on one single store to publish apps for Windows Phone and Windows 8. Before, developers had to pay $49/year for an 8 license, and $19/year for a phone store license. Now, you get access to both for just $19. Awesome, right?
What it does NOT mean:
As much as we wish we had a magic compiler to recode your apps in the appropriate format, this merge does not mean that your apps will work cross-platform – that is, you still have to develop two versions of an app if you want it to run on both your phone and your desktop/tablet. No big deal though, MSDN provides great tips on trans-platform development.
So techies, how do you feel about the store merge?
