Microsoft is taking the unprecedented step of allowing other vendors to set up shop within the app store that launches next week. Amazon and Epic Games have already accepted Microsoft's invitation to integrate into the open-to-all Microsoft Store on Windows.

The new Microsoft Store will open its doors on October 5th, the launch date for Windows 11. Microsoft reports that since June,  when it revealed plans for the revamped app store, hundreds of app developers have joined the preview program to develop desktop apps for Windows 11, encouraged no doubt by the lure of being able to retain the entirety of the app revenue when apps manage their own in-app payment systems, see Microsoft Gives Devs Option of Keeping 100% Revenue.

As well as offering developers a fairer deal, Microsoft is also committed to being more open, allowing developers to publish any kind of app, regardless of app framework and packaging technology, giving equal opportunity to Win32, .NET, UWP, Xamarin, Electron, React Native, Java and even Progressive Web Apps. This strategy has widened what you will find on offer in the revamped Microsoft Store on Windows and the lineup of third-party apps includes LibreOffice, Zoom, Discord, Adobe Reader, the VLC media player. PWA apps you will find there include Wikipedia, TikTok, Lyft, Quizlet, Tumblr and Reddit and the store will also be open the third-party browsers with Opera and Yandex being two that are already on-board.

The latest news is that Microsoft is allowing other app distributors to set up their own storefront apps within the Microsoft Store For Windows, making it into the virtual equivalent of a Department Store.. Amazon is one of the two high-profile vendors that is billed as coming in the next few months, the other being Epic Games. 

Announcing this development on the Windows Blog, Giorgio Sardo, General Manager, Microsoft Store

Just like any other app, third-party storefront apps will have a product detail page that can be found via search or by browsing – so that users can easily find and install it with the same confidence as any other app in the Microsoft Store on Windows.  

Is this a case of Microsoft demonstrating to Apple and Google that there is an alternative way to run an app store. But while such a move could cost Apple a vast amount in passing on revenue share to its competitors, since Microsoft struggles to find developers who want to build apps exclusively for Windows 11, this is a good way to ensure that visitors to its store find empty shelves with nothing to tempt them back. 

More Information

Microsoft Store: More apps, more open

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