 "Leaked screenshots reveal redesigned Xbox Music and new Windows 8.1 apps")
The Windows 8.1 update is something that many users are actively waiting for. Keeping that in mind, Microsoft is looking to revise many of its built-in apps that will be seen on the Windows Store, according to The Verge. The preview of the Windows Store was opened up for all leaked Windows 8.1 builds yesterday. Here’s how it looks:
While a lot of apps are being looked at, the one that is getting a lot of focus is the Music app. According to leaked images of a redesigned copy of the Windows Store, Xbox Music will be getting a completely new user interface. The company has earlier said that the new Music app will now let users get to the song of their choice with just two mouse clicks instead of the current six clicks.
From the leaked shots, the update will have Xbox Music sporting a two-panel interface. This will definitely help users find their music quickly. Additionally, Xbox Music will make accessing a collection of songs quicker as well. Xbox Music has received a lot of flak in the past because users felt that the interface felt too slow and chunky. Although the service included the most popular songs and albums, the UI left many users feeling unhappy with the service.
Microsoft is revising many of it’s built-in apps for the Windows 8.1 update..
The company is looking to address that with the new update. Microsoft has said that Xbox Music will come with a simplified design and layout. Apart from that, users will also get an in-app search box, which will give better search results and will also get support for music being played from SD cards. The Music app will also look at supporting music that will be outside of the Xbox Music catalogue.
Microsoft is not stopping with just the Music app, though. The built-in apps that will be seen are: Calculator, Sound Recorder, Scan, Reading List, Movie Moments as well as Help & Tips.
Let’s look at what these add-ons do. Movie Moments is a simple editing app that will let users edit with the touch friendly interface. Reading List is a simplified looking clipboard that will save URLs and other pieces of information that users pick up from applications. The Sound Recorder, Scan and Calculator are all touch-friendly variants of the real world devices. An important add-on here is the changes that the Help & Tips will see, which will include a number of tutorials for the new Windows 8.1 user to address any confusion that might arise.
Microsoft isn’t stopping at that, though. According to the leaked shots, the company is redesigning the way the Windows Store looks, including a revamped Top Paid, Top Free and New Releases sections. Microsoft is also adding a “picks for you” section that will make suggestions for the users based on their existing library. App discoverability and a user-friendly interface are being focused on, as the Windows Store will allow for app suggestions within app pages. Microsoft has said that all these changes will be made available in Windows 8.1, which will be released as a preview version on June 26.
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