Microsoft today announced the Office Store is getting a big expansion this spring. Among the additions is subscription pricing for apps, as well as five new languages and eight additional markets.
The former means the Office Store will soon allow developers to charge a monthly recurring fee for their apps. They will thus be able to choose between building free, trial, paid, and subscription versions of their apps, which Microsoft says will broaden their reach “to entirely new users, customers and segments.”
The new supported languages will be Chinese, Russian, Dutch, Brazilian (Portuguese), and Italian. They will arrive along with the opening of the following store fronts: Russia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Brazil.
Spring is of course a very vague timeframe, and unfortunately Microsoft hasn’t given much more detail beyond that. We do know, however, that developers can begin updating and/or submitting subscription apps in the Seller Dashboard now, and that in November, Office Store users will be able to purchase subscription apps.
As for developers who wish to submit or update their apps in new markets, submissions will open in December. Microsoft says Office Store customers will have access to local language apps and store fronts by “early spring.”
For those who don’t know, the Office Store is available in 31 markets and can be accessed directly within Office applications and at Office.com. It features “hundreds” of business and productivity apps, which have now been download “well over” 1 million times.
Here’s Microsoft pitch:
Apps for Office and SharePoint scenarios extend across Microsoft products and interact with external data. For example, imagine your key business data appearing live right within Excel or your travel plans being booked from within Outlook and then updated real time in your calendar appointment.
If you’re an app builder and find that intriguing, you’ll want to check out the new developer center and this MSDN page.
Top Image Credit: Robert Scoble
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