The state of Windows 8 apps

It’s great to see your app in the New Releases section of the Windows 8 Store, it means people can see it without searching for your app specifically. Then you see some of the apps that are also in the New Releases and you think “why?!“. Here are a few examples I found while browsing the New Releases on the Windows 8 Store. You’ll see what I mean.

Song Rememberer

Find a song and want to remember to download it later? Do you need a database that can only hold two strings? ‘Song Rememberer’ has got you covered. This app is quite pointless, why would you want such an apathetic, ugly app on you computer?

WhyNotAppMirror

”This app use your device webcam as a Mirror to have a quick check of yourself and also to help you with your makeup” - App description

Why not indeed. I’ve seen several of these mirror apps. There must be a few good camera apps on the store. You don’t need an app that just uses your half-a-mega-pixel front camera as a mirror. And why is the only screenshot of the app somebody’s forehead and hair? What?

Countdown clock modern

How to XAML? Such a simple and poorly implemented app, I don’t see why it’s on the Store. And the Start tile is this:

Aaah, Comic Sans! And that green! And it says the name of the app twice. And there is no background colour set for semantic zoom. Ooh, forget it.

And now my personal favourite:

window 8 player

Just a terrible looking app that makes me sad seeing it on an OS that has tried to promote good user interface and experience throughout it’s UI. Then this happens. It’s hilariously bad, it had me laughing for ages. Just a blank purple screen and some thoughtlessly-made player controls when you right click. And the creator has the audacity to charge £0.99 for it. Come on.

I know I’m having a jab at them. It is a bit annoying to have spent a long time on each detail of your own app when there are pieces like this on the Store. I appreciate not everyone knows the platform or the programming languages. These apps are a great example of starter projects to get going and learn how to code for Windows 8. By all means. Just please don’t submit them to the Store in this state, it’s not needed.