Windows 8 apps: Get 'em while they're free

Microsoft says that every single application in its Windows Store will be free of charge while the Consumer Preview holds sway.

Don Reisinger

CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.

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Don Reisinger

Feb. 29, 2012 7:18 a.m. PT

One of the many free apps available in the Windows Store in Windows 8 Consumer Preview. Aloysius Low/CNET

Microsoft just went a long way toward getting Windows 8 Consumer Preview users to download boatloads of apps.

The company said today at its address at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, that all applications in its Windows Store will be available for free. There is just one catch, however: the deal will only be available in the Windows 8 Consumer Preview.

Microsoft didn't say how many applications are currently available in its Windows Store, but did point out that more titles will be coming to the marketplace over time. Once the official retail version of Windows 8 launches, many of the applications consumers have come to know and, perhaps, love will be offered at a cost.

Aside from a discussion on free apps, Microsoft today divulged all kinds of juicy details about the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, including that it made over 100,000 code changes since it launched the Developer Preview.

Windows 8 Consumer Preview is available now for download. If you want to find out how it works before you get your hands on it, click here for CNET's full evaluation of the software.