Tip o’ the Week 399 – What’s in Store?

The Windows Store was/is a key part of Windows 8 and 10, it being a place to distribute apps that conform to the “new” model (originally known as “Metro”apps, after the codename given to the design ethos that typified the redesign of apps and the OS itself, though thatname was later dropped in favour of the much duller “Microsoft Design Language” (MDL), and the term given to “Metro Apps” was “Windows Store Apps” or “Modern Apps”).

The original idea behind the Apps that were to be distributed via the Store was that they would be easy to install and share, but perhaps most importantly, heavily sandboxed so they couldn’t hog the performance of the machine, couldn’t be a vector for attack by spreading malware and the likes or drain the battery of the laptop (or phone) through excessive background execution.

Anyone who’s ever looked in Task Manager on their PC and seen Runtime Broker run amok might disagree that it’s worked out, but ‘tis still a noble aim. The idea of Windows Store apps evolved into Universal Windows Platform apps in Windows 10, the plan being that the same app could run on PCs, Hololens, Surface Hub, phones, Xbox…

It seems the Windows Store is being rebranded, though. As its remit grew from an app store to include music, games and TV/movie distribution as well, this makes a deal of sense. Expect to see the change percolate to Windows 10 users as an update is rolled out to the Store app, starting with Insiders for now. The same rebranding is supposedly happening to Windows Mobile (who knew?) and also on Xbox.

There’s nothing obviously new in the Store app yet, but MJF reports that Progressive Web Apps will be featured in the catalogue of apps in future.

In other news, the bricks’n’mortar Microsoft Store is coming to London.