14 DAY TRIAL // The Windows Store is not yet available in the Windows Developer Preview, and this will continue to be the case for quite some time.
For the time being, the “Introducing the Windows Store” session at BUILD, presented by Ted Dworkin, partner director, Program Management at Microsoft, is a great way for both users and developers to get a sense of what the Windows Store is and what it has to offer.
I suspect that devs will make the best out of this session, but there’s really no reason why users cannot at least skim through it and get a taste of what’s coming.
The Windows Store will be a hub serving both Metro apps and traditional desktop applications for Windows 8.
Obviously, it will be focused on Metro apps ahead of anything else, and will in fact act as the only source for downloading projects built for the new development platform introduced in Windows 8.
Microsoft stressed that there will always be room for traditional desktops programs in the Windows Store, just as there will always be a Windows desktop to let users leverage such applications alongside Metro apps.
Of course one of the questions that remained unanswered even after BUILD is when Microsoft might launch the Windows Store. And watching the video embedded below will not provide an answer.
Dworkin does promise that the Windows Store grand opening will come soon / in the immediate future.
This being said, it’s important to note that the Redmond company has decided to give developers some time to put together Metro apps before allowing them to submit their projects to the Windows Store.
I have little doubt that the launch of the Windows 8 app store will be a big deal event for Microsoft, but so far, the company is waiting for Metro app development to gain some traction before unleashing the Windows Store.