 "Windows 8 reaches 100,000 app mark in seven months")
Microsoft has announced that it has hit the 100,000 app mark for the Windows 8 platform yesterday. The announcement was made on Twitter by the Windows App Builders. The mark was achieved pretty quickly, considering the mile stone came roughly seven months after Windows 8 began rolling out for the market in October last year.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer estimated that the 100,000 app mark would be achieved by July, according to The Verge. While the goal was achieved according to schedule, the milestone did miss the company’s Build Developers conference that took place last week.
The Windows 8 app numbers seem to have grown pretty fast, when you compare it to the performance charts of other app stores. The Apple App Store took close to 14 months to reach the 100,000 iPad-specific app number in 2011. The iPad itself was launched in April of 2010. Google Play, which is the Android app store, took around 18 months to achieve the same number in 2010.
Windows 8 hits the 1,00,000 app milestone yesterday
The number also seems to be a relatively fast achievement, when compared to the home-grown Windows Phone Store. The Windows Phone store took close to 18 months to achieve the 100,000 app milestone, which was achieved in 2012. Around last month, the Windows Phone Store was seen with 1,45,000 apps, which is not a big leap from the earlier number.
However, the rationale behind the lesser apps is the focus that developers are giving to the existing apps and their appeal, a decision that Microsoft has a big hand in. However, the latest milestone for Windows 8 may not reflect much. While the apps itself are around for download, the onus is on Microsoft to convince users to buy its products.
With the Surface RT not being able to hit the right notes with the audience, it may be a task for Microsoft to convince consumers of the relevance of Windows RT apps which can be downloaded for Windows 8. A big problem faced here could be the vast numbers of apps which are already available for Windows today.
An asset here could be the Windows 8.1 update, which will see a version being built for the RT platform as well. There is also news of a new surface tablet being made, which will sport a Qualcomm chipset, according to Bloomberg. Keeping these developments in mind, the expansion of the app store for Windows 8 makes sense. And with big names like Facebook and Flipboard coming on board soon, it could be that the Windows 8 RT platform may soon have more relevance for users in the market.
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