One store for everything, Microsoft says at BUILD

Apr 30, 2015 07:13 GMT  ·  By

Windows 10 will bring a plethora of changes in terms of new features and visual improvements, but at the same time, it will also try to make it easier for users to download and install apps on their PCs.

One of the tweaks that Microsoft has in mind for Windows 10 is a new Windows Store for everything, and by everything, the company doesn’t only refer to apps that are designed to run on phones and tablets.

The new Windows 10 store will also hold Win32 and .NET apps, with Terry Myerson saying at BUILD 2015 that this way users would make sure that what they’re downloading is fully clean software that doesn’t pose any risk to their computers.

Tackling the lack of apps issue

The introduction of Win32 and .NET apps in the Windows 10 is very important for two different reasons.

First and foremost, Microsoft would indeed be able to create a more secure environment for users who want to download software without launching their browser, but there’s no doubt that the company needs to always stay in control of the apps listed for download.

It’s not a secret that many of the apps listed for download in the store right now are actually spam that does nothing more than to replicate a web-based interface, and Microsoft really has an app quality issue right now, so for Win32 software, the company would really have to keep an eye on everything in the store.

And the second reason concerns the lack of apps that Redmond is struggling so much to tackle. Win32 and .NET are two of the most popular frameworks right now, and most of the apps that we use every day fall in one of these two categories, so there’s no doubt that, in Windows 10, the number of apps would no longer be an issue.

And yet, adding Win32 apps to the store only makes sense for PCs and tablets running the full version of Windows 10, so there’ll still be a difference when it comes to content available for users of various platforms.