Windows 8 App Store in pictures
Microsoft has revealed pictures of the Windows Store app store that will be built into Windows 8.
Want to know what's in store for Windows 8? Microsoft has revealed pictures of the app store that will be built into the next generation of the venerable Windows operating system.
The Windows Store app emporium is based on the colourful square tiles borrowed from Windows Phone. You can scroll across the tiles or zoom out to see them all.
The Windows Store includes editorial topic pages, charts and lists, and app listing pages. When you search, apps can be sorted by category and price.
You don't even have to open the Store app to search for new apps. The overall search function in Windows 8 searches the Store as well as your computer and the Web, just by clicking on an icon called the Search charm.
Apps are installed with a single tap. Paid apps require a password, but if you're sick of typing it in every blinkin' time -- hello, iTunes -- you can turn off that requirement.
An app can be installed on up to five Windows 8 computers or tablets, so you only have to pay once.
It could be a busy enterprise for Microsoft. The Apple Mac App Store has served up 100 million downloads, and the number of Windows-powered computers in the world dwarfs the number of Macs. Instead of getting your software from all across the Web, you get it from a safe Microsoft shop -- with a nice cut of the price gping to Microsoft.
Windows 8 will operate on both computers and tablets, such as the forthcoming Lenovo Yoga. Swiping and scrolling will be great on tablets and touchscreen computers -- many all-in-one PCs have touch displays these days -- but it remains to be seen how it'll work when you don't have a touchscreen.
Windows 8 hits computers and tablets towards the end of this year, but you don't have to wait a year to try it out: here's how to install Windows 8 alongside your normal OS.
Are you excited for Windows 8? Does the store look good? Tell us in the comments or on our Facebook page.