Microsoft doesn't think Windows Phone suffers from an app gap in India

Microsoft is keen on dispelling notions of an app gap on Windows Phone, with an executive mentioning that that the company is not far behind in the apps development space. Joseph Landes, General Manager (Developer and Platform Evangelism) at Microsoft India, has stated in an interview with The Hindu that there is a "zero app gap versus competition."

We are not behind. Of course there are certain apps like Candy Crush which is not available on Windows Phone Store. But if you look at apps created by Indian companies or top brands, we have a zero app gap versus competition.

Landes touched upon security, saying that even though the Windows Phone store does not feature as many apps as Android or iOS, the main differentiator is that its apps are malware-free. He also mentioned that another misconception with Windows Phone has to do with the number of apps, and has said that Microsoft currently has 300,000 apps available for download.

There is no question about it there are more apps in Google Play Store and iOS. The question is how many apps do you really need? How many calculators do you need?

Talking about the state of the app ecosystem in India, Landes mentioned that Microsoft has invested heavily in the startup ecosystem in the country, including a recent partnership with Reliance Industries' GenNext Ventures that will see the introduction of innovation hubs.

We would like to see tons of great innovation come out of these initiatives in terms of building a great apps in the times to come.

As we've showcased several times in the past, several Indian companies and retailers have embraced the Windows Phone platform by launching native apps. As the platform gains momentum in the country, more and more organizations will start offering dedicated clients for Windows Phone.