In This Area, Microsoft Is 3 Times Better Than Apple

Microsoft's Windows Store is now home to more than 50,000 apps, according to OS tracker MetroStore Scanner. By contrast, AppShopper puts Apple's Mac App Store count at just over 14,000.

Developers write code for PCs three times more often than they do for Macs. So much for the death of the PC, eh?

To be fair, while the comparison is interesting, it might also be meaningless: AppShopper also found more than 1 million iOS apps for the iPhone and iPad. Mr. Softy's Windows Store also includes Windows RT apps designed for the Surface tablet, which hasn't sold well despite initial enthusiasm.

Cash might also be driving development. Microsoft is in the midst of a promotion whereby every app submitted to the Windows Store, or the Windows Phone Store, earns an extra $100 -- as much as $2,000 in total consideration per developer.

In the following video, Tim Beyers of Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova says Microsoft is making the right move to boost software for Windows 8, even if it means paying coders a little extra to get behind the new platforms. Do you agree? Disagree? Please weigh in using the comments box below.

For further analysis of Microsoft, try our newest premium research report, in which we take a closer look at Mr. Softy's expanding empire and assess the risks and opportunities for your portfolio. Access your report now by clicking here.

The article In This Area, Microsoft Is 3 Times Better Than Apple originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Tim Beyers is a member of the Motley Fool Rule Breakers stock-picking team and the Motley Fool Supernova Odyssey I mission. He owned shares of Apple at the time of publication. Check out Tim's Web home and portfolio holdings, or connect with him on Google+, Tumblr, or Twitter, where he goes by @milehighfool. You can also get his insights delivered directly to your RSS reader.The Motley Fool recommends Apple and owns shares of Apple and Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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