In the new world order at Microsoft, apps for Microsoft services are just as important for competing platforms as they are for Windows and Windows Phone devices, and what looks to be a new user experience on the Microsoft Store website is another indication of just that.
Microsoft wants the Microsoft Store to be your single source for Microsoft apps, regardless of what platform you may be on. Thanks to a tip we received this morning, we noticed that apps on the Microsoft Store now allow you to “Choose your device” when attempting to download an app from the Store (see image below). This makes it easier than ever to download a particular Microsoft app on any platform, granted it’s available for those platforms.
As you can see, for a Microsoft app, you’re given a choice of platforms. Clicking on one of the choices takes you to the appropriate download page, say on Google Play or the Windows Phone app store. For 3rd party apps, you can now just search on the Microsoft Store website, and be given an overview page of the app, for example MetroTube (see image below). Clearly, Microsoft will likely offer 3rd part app links to both Windows and Windows Phone, rather than iOS and Android. It makes no sense for Microsoft to offer 3rd party app links to rival platforms, unless of course it’s for Microsoft’s own like Skype.
With Microsoft concentrating its energies on cross platform development, as well as Windows/Windows Phone synergies when it comes to apps, having a single source of information/download links for all these various apps will come in handy indeed.
Microsoft is still working on the new Microsoft Store website, which is expected to be a central source for apps. In fact, Microsoft is starting to list Xbox apps, in addition to apps for Windows, iOS, and Android. You can check out the new store by heading over to www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/apps. Keep in mind that the store is still under construction, to say the least.
Further reading: Apps, Microsoft, Microsoft Store, Windows 10
