The Windows Phone Marketplace buckles under influx of new apps

Well, this is a problem that comes wrapped in a bit of good news: the Windows Phone Marketplace app submission process is jammed at the moment, reducing the number of apps that are making it into the platform’s app store. However, the cause of the problem is quite encouraging. Microsoft claims that:

We are aware and are tracking delays in the app certification, ingestion and publishing process. Testing is currently taking 24-48 hours and publishing an additional 24-48 hours. Thank you for your patience as we work to clear the queue and scale to handle the high volume of submissions.

We agree with MobilityDigest, this sounds like a spike in submissions. Now, it’s disheartening that Microsoft is not prepared to handle a larger load of apps, but that’s something than can be fixed with a checkbook, and the company’s is open.

According to WMPowerUser, the number of apps that are passing approval and landing in the Marketplace each day has declined from around 300, to 250. While that’s a healthy number, I think, given that Windows Phone remains a small platform, if Microsoft could boost it, end users would hardly complain.

The health of a mobile line’s app store is a key barometer of its own strength. Windows Phone has been repeatedly mocked since its birth for being behind its two chief rivals, iOS and Android, in terms of total available third-party applications. Perhaps Windows Phone has found new momentum.