At a press event in San Francisco, Microsoft announced the upcoming Windows 10 will come with a unified store for all Windows devices. This means the app store for Windows Phone and Windows will be combined into one, something which has been rumored a number of times in the past few months.
This will help users purchase an app on a single device, and install/update it on all other Windows devices. It also goes in line with the reports we’ve heard about the rebranding of Microsoft products, with smartphones, and tablets coming under the “Windows” branding.
As for developers, Microsoft mentioned they’ll have to write one app now, which will be compatible across all devices, whether it’s a tablet or a smartphone, or laptop running the Windows 10 as its operating system. To be honest, this is a good thing in my opinion since it will allow developers to create just one app which will work on all Windows devices. Apple has done something similar, allowing apps to run on both the iPhone and iPads, with smartphone-only apps running in a scaled environment on the tablets.
“Whether you’re building a game or a line of business application, there will be one way to write a universal app that targets the entire family. There will be one store, one way for applications to be discovered, purchased and updated across all of these devices,” says Myerson.
As they mentioned, it’s also focusing on the enterprise sector. Microsoft’s unified app store will allow organizations to reclaim or re-use licenses for purchased apps, as well as volume purchases based on company’s identity. It will also give business the ability to customize the app store. “Organizations will also be able to create a customized store, curating store experiences that can include their choice of Store apps alongside company-owned apps into a separate employee store experience,” says Microsoft’s Jim Alkove.
