Developers have known for a while that Microsoft planned to include an app store in Windows 8; now they have some more details about how they can expect to earn money from the Windows Store. Developers will be able to offer free apps, but for paid apps, the minimum price will be $1.49. The maximum price will be $999.99. Developers won’t get a check until an app has earned $200. However, once an app has earned $25,000, developers will receive an 80 percent cut of the purchase price, instead of the standard 70 percent.
Microsoft also revealed that it will enable in-app purchases and optional trial periods for the Windows store. According to Microsoft’s Arik Cohen, “On the Windows Phone, we have seen apps with trials bring up to five times the revenue of apps without trials.” The Windows Store will also allow developers to use their own billing systems, but those systems must be certified and meet certain criteria, including meeting the PCI standard.