14 DAY TRIAL // The leaked Windows 10 build 9901 version sure comes with lots of improvements in terms of features and aesthetics, but it also includes some other under-the-hood tweaks that might hint at new changes planned by Microsoft for the final version of the operating system.
Windows 10 build 9901 also comes with a beta version of new app store, simply called Store Beta, which allows you to try out a new interface of the feature that first debuted in Windows 8.
At this point, the new store appears to be down, so it's either in its very early stages on the market or Microsoft took it down on purpose, but you can already see what it looks like in the photo gallery below.
This beta version of the store comes not only with a new UI and access to music and videos, but also to apps that were designed to run on Windows Phone exclusively.
Not yet available for download
So, Windows Phone apps now show up in the store and can be accessed right from the desktop. ‘What does this mean?’ you might ask.
It's hard to decrypt Microsoft's message, but it's a well-known fact that the company is working to unify its platforms, so it now tries to bring together the desktop and the mobile operating systems to offer users a similar experience no matter the device.
As part of this plan, Microsoft is also preparing to merge the two stores, so what we have here could actually be the first step towards such a project. Obviously, it might be too early to speculate on this, but there's no doubt that the store won't be the same in Windows 10.
Twitter user @AngelWZR came across Make More Space, a Windows Phone application developed by HTC, which is also available in the new store. The app cannot be installed on Windows 10, failing with an error saying that “Something went wrong on our end,” so Microsoft most likely keeps some of the features of the new store locked in this leaked build of Windows 10.
In the meantime, the old store continues to be available as well for users who install Windows 10 build 9901, but it features absolutely no improvement, which could be another sign that Microsoft might very soon dump it for good.
More information on this should emerge next month, when Microsoft will disclose its consumers plans for Windows 10, as well as news regarding Windows Phone 10.
