Microsoft Combines PC, Mobile App Stores

In preparation for its rollout of Windows 10, Microsoft did a major overhaul of its app stores. Instead of separate stores for PC apps and mobile apps, the company’s new store is all-inclusive, offering apps for PCs, tablets and mobile phones in one place.

CNET reports the store is a step toward Microsoft’s upcoming “Universal App” store, which would offer apps for all Windows devices as well as other gear, such as the company’s Xbox gaming console. That truly unified store is still in the works and yet to debut. With Windows 10, developers will be able to build universal apps, using the same core code and just tweaking it for the designated platform, be it PC, mobile or Xbox. For now, the store lets users browse all PC and mobile apps (and not yet Xbox), but it requires users to open the Windows Store on a Windows 8.1 or 10 device or the Windows Phone Store on a Windows Phone handset to perform any actual app installs. Direct installs from the combined store will likely appear once Microsoft launches its true Universal App Store, which will be at some point in the future.

Haters gonna hate. It seems no matter what Microsoft does, the default response from a number of tech journalists and industry analysts is that it signals the demise of Windows Phone. It does not help that this announcement comes a week after CEO Satya Nadella announced a shift in the company’s phone strategy that includes cutting up to 7,800 jobs and writing off the value of its Nokia acquisition. However, Microsoft is making good on its promise from two years ago to unify its PC and mobile app stores. This goes beyond providing a better user experience; it is a strategy developed at the OS level. It’s undeniable that the company is going through a challenging period with its phone business, but the overhaul of its app stores speaks of a larger strategy for the long term.

451 Research Senior Analyst Raúl Casta?ón