- published: 01 Mar 2016
- views: 7447
Windows Store is an upcoming digital distribution platform developed by Microsoft Corporation as part of Windows 8 for Metro style applications. The Windows Store will also allow developers to advertise their desktop applications. It will support both free and paid applications, with the paid applications ranging from $1.49 to $999.99. Developers will also be able to offer free trials. The Windows Store was made available concurrently with the release of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview which was released on February 29, 2012.
On September 13, 2011, day one of the BUILD developer conference, Microsoft's Windows President Steven Sinofsky announced the Windows Store application and its features and also demonstrated the store. Microsoft that day also released the Windows 8 Developer Preview that included the Windows Store application but does not function, displaying a "coming soon" message.
The Windows Store will be the only means of distributing Metro-style applications to users; the official reason is to allow Microsoft to scan apps for security flaws and malware. The Windows Store will take a 30% cut of application sales. Once an application reaches $25,000 USD in revenue, the cut drops to 20%. Third-party transactions are also allowed, of which Microsoft does not take a cut.[citation needed] Individual developers will be able to register for $49 USD, and $99 USD for companies.