Windows 8 becomes officially available on Friday, but the Windows Store made its official debut on Thursday, opening online in 231 markets worldwide in 109 languages.
The Windows Store offers an impressive amount of software for download -- Microsoft Windows division president Steven Sinofsky said at a Microsoft event on Thursday that there are more apps available at launch than any app store in history.
According to Wes Miller, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft, there were 7,873 Windows 8 "Modern" apps available in the store worldwide as of Wednesday, and 4,516 in the U.S. Windows Store. He added that of those nearly 8,000 apps worldwide, 88% of them are free. In the U.S. version of the Windows Store, 83% (3,749) of the apps are free.
Among those apps, so far we've seen Skype for Windows 8 (that we favorably reviewed), Netflix, which we think "looks great and provides easy access to new releases, recommendations and genres," and the ubiquitous Angry Birds, one of the first games to be available at the Windows Store.
Only accessible from Windows 8 and above, the store is described by Microsoft as a download center for a variety of devices including Windows 8 PCs, notebooks and tablets. And, it's the only place to get Windows RT software for Microsoft Surface tablets.
The Windows Store has already been available to those who've been using preview releases of Windows 8. For instance, those running the Windows 8 RTM release have been able to test some of the new apps that have recently become available.
The Windows Store -- first introduced to developers on Sept. 13, 2011 -- is similar to the Apple App Store, where before apps are offered for sale, they are vetted for malware and security issues. The Windows Store also has a set of guidelines that prevent apps from dealing in adult content and profanity as well as discriminatory and slanderous statements, and forbids the glamorization of alcohol, tobacco, drugs and weapons.
Microsoft says you'll be able to install any apps you buy on up to five PCs, and like the Apple Store, you'll be invited to rate and review those apps. In the store, which is arranged like Windows 8 with its tiled "Modern" format, you'll be able to sort the apps by category, price and rating, and it will even let you share certain apps with others.
According to Miller, "There are 3,367 distinct developers who have apps available on the store the current time." Developers get a good deal from placing their apps on the Windows Store, with a revenue-sharing deal that brings them 70% for new apps. Once an app has earned $25,000 in sales, developers then receive 80% of the revenue.