Windows 8 to Offer One-Week Free Trial for Apps

Windows 8 is sure to be an exciting time for Microsoft (News - Alert). The operating system will be working across not only laptops and desktops, but mobile devices. With that comes a platform for apps. And for any future windows 8 smartphones or tablets, a strong app market will be essential.

Microsoft plans to do something different with their app market to help consumers. One of the major problems with Android (News - Alert) and iOS apps today is when you shell out money for an app, use it for a couple of minutes, and then realize that it is complete garbage. Apps on Apple’s App Store try and combat this by offering free ‘lite’ versions of their apps whereas Android has a policy where you can return an app for a refund within 15 minutes of purchasing it.

But neither of these methods works exceptionally well, as not all apps have free versions and 15 minutes is a very small amount of time to fully explore an app.

With the Windows 8 app marketplace, users will be able to download apps and use them for a week-long free trial before making a decision to purchase or not.

While this is great for future Windows 8 smartphone owners, it comes with a small caveat: Apps on Microsoft’s marketplace will have a minimum price of $1.49 as opposed to the more common $0.99 touted by Apple (News - Alert). While this means more money in the pockets of Microsoft and app developers, the price hike could deter purchases.

After the company reported a loss last quarter, there’s no doubt Microsoft is betting on Windows 8 to generate some revenue. Though its app prices are higher than the norm, Microsoft’s try-before-you-buy strategy balances, and given some popularity, could force some changes to iOS and Android app store strategies.

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