A lot rides on the Windows Phone Store as far as Microsoft’s mobile ambitions are concerned. The company’s redesigned Windows Phone platform does a lot of things right, and does them swift.
Still, there is a visible gap in the apps the platform offers compared to competing solutions from Google and Apple. This is not surprising when you consider the head start both these competing platforms had against Windows Phone.
But fans, users and Microsoft itself would like this gap now filled.
The latest official count is that there are around 145,000 apps available in the Windows Phone Store. Several big names, however, still remain out of reach.
Having said that, Windows Phone users in the UK now have a reason to celebrate! The anticipated BBC iPlayer has now officially launched. The app was confirmed to be in development back in March, and it has just arrived on Microsoft’s mobile platform.
BBC itself made the announcement saying that the app offers a shortcut to the mobile optimized website, live tile and media player. And yes, the app is Windows Phone 8 only. In the words of BBC’s head of iPlayer, Programs and On Demand BBC Future Media, Dave Price:
“Unfortunately, platform limitations with Windows Phone 7.5 have meant we’ve been unable to provide the same quality playback experience as on Windows Phone 8. This led to the joint decision not to make BBC iPlayer available on Windows Phone 7.5.”
The new app is exclusively available for residents in the United Kingdom and offers domestic programming along with other content created by the British Broadcasting Corporation.
A commercial international version of the iPlayer app has already launched on other mobile platforms, so here is hoping that a Windows Phone version is next up, offering users outside of the UK access to the BBC content right on the screens of their mobile devices.
If you are in the UK, you can download the BBC iPlayer app via the Windows Phone Store page.
