14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft’s Windows 8 platform is shaping up as a great operating system for all users out there, including those who are considering the adoption of the Windows RT flavor of the software.
Windows 8 reinvents Windows, Microsoft has been long touting, mainly due to a new approach to the user interface and experience, which started as the Metro UI and is known at the moment as Modern UI.
However, the new interface of the platform has been severely criticized by many, ranging from end-users to analysts, mainly due to the enhanced focus on touch capabilities, which make the platform a bit harder to use with traditional keyboard and mouse input.
Aside from that, many have wondered whether Microsoft would indeed be able to rally developers to come up with applications for the new OS, especially since the entire development approach has been changed from the previous Windows releases.
Apparently, the Redmond-based company did manage to attract devs on Windows 8’s side, and it is currently counting over 1,000 applications in the Windows Store portal that accompanies the new OS.
The storefront, destined mainly for the distribution of applications built for Windows 8’s new UI, surpassed the 1k apps mark today, a recent post on McAtkins Online reads.
Apparently, the rate at which new applications are being pushed to the Store has increased, and chances are that Microsoft will go near the 3,000 apps mark or beyond it by the time the platform reaches general availability.
The Windows Store was opened to the public in Windows 8 Consumer Preview, when only free apps were listed as available for download, but it has started to accept paid apps as well ever since the Windows 8 was released to manufacturing last month.
In addition to Windows 8-specific apps, which comprise the vast majority of the software currently listed in the portal, Windows Store also displays traditional desktop apps, but only to provide users with links to their developers’ websites.
It seems that more and more developers are flocking to Windows 8, which suggests that more new software will appear in the Store soon, thus making the platform even more appealing than before.
One thing that should be noted, though, is that Microsoft hasn’t yet provided an official announcement on the number of apps available in the Windows Store. However, it might do so before or at the official launch event for Windows 8, set for October 16th, this year.