Microsoft Store is finally allowing third party stores like Amazon and Epic Games Store

For years Microsoft has been moving its ain storefront for Windows 8 and 10 for antithetic apps and games, but you were ever restricted to the tiny assortment of bundle available, particularly if you were utilizing a instrumentality with S-Mode enabled. Luckily, that’s changing a spot now.

Microsoft has announced that its opening its storefront in Windows 11 to much apps successful a blog post today. And while right now that includes immoderate super-useful apps similar Discord and Zoom, it’s besides opening its doors to third-party store apps, which is huge.

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Over the “next fewer months”, some Epic Games and Amazon volition beryllium bringing their storefronts to the Microsoft Store, and a beauteous large crushed for that is astir apt that Microsoft isn’t going to necessitate these companies to stock revenue. In that blog post, Microsoft states that “Microsoft Store connected Windows nary longer requires app developers to stock gross with Microsoft, erstwhile apps negociate their ain in-app outgo systems”. No wonderment Amazon and Epic Games are rushing to beryllium included. 

But the existent payment present is going to beryllium for the Windows 11 users, particularly those that aren’t that comfy scouring the web for utile bundle – oregon the risks that entails.

Useful and safe

I’m going to conscionable travel retired and accidental it, close present I don’t truly usage the Microsoft Store for thing beyond getting games through Xbox Game Pass. Even apps that are disposable done Microsoft’s storefront, I’m astir apt going to spell and get elsewhere. Not lone is the Microsoft Store UI connected Windows 10 benignant of clunky and ugly, but it’s truthful tied into a Microsoft relationship that I usually don’t privation to woody with it – particularly if it’s connected a laptop I’m reviewing that I’m not signed successful on.

But I cognize that nerds similar maine that similar to bash things the aged mode are benignant of a dying breed, particularly arsenic radical get much and much utilized to not lone phones having app stores, but adjacent different computing platforms – similar macOS and Chrome OS. Both of those platforms person mode much utile stores than Microsoft’s and it’s astir wholly owed to the information that some Google and Apple person built up specified a immense catalog of bundle that is readily available. 

This is particularly existent present that Apple has fundamentally brought implicit each iOS and iPadOS apps to the Mac, starting with 2019’s macOS Catalina. But due to the fact that Microsoft has ever struggled getting the aforesaid saturation of bundle connected its platform, it’s astir apt going to request immoderate assistance if it wants users to spot the Microsoft Store arsenic the cardinal hub for software.

Adding storefronts similar the Epic Games Store and Amazon volition perfectly bash that, and we’re definite that determination volition beryllium different storefronts that Microsoft hasn’t listed that volition further grow what’s disposable connected Windows 11. We already cognize that Microsoft volition beryllium allowing Android Apps to tally connected Windows 11 aboriginal this year, and that is going to beryllium immense for folks that conscionable privation utile bundle without opening themselves to risk.

Because portion much tech-savvy machine users similar maine cognize however to find morganatic bundle and debar downloading malicious code, I got determination done proceedings and mistake erstwhile I was increasing up, and it’s conscionable arsenic unsmooth retired determination arsenic it ever was. 

You tin inactive spell retired looking for a portion of freeware to get a circumstantial happening done and stumble connected a webpage that perfectly has a harmless mentation of that bundle to download – but it volition beryllium surrounded by a clump of ads with large “download” buttons that volition astir surely not beryllium what you wanted to download. 

And it does look similar basal machine information to debar these things if you’re a longtime net denizen, but determination are a batch of radical who are coming to Windows that person lone utilized smartphones and tablets, and astir apt aren’t rather truthful prepared to download a clump of apps done a hunt engine. And this is going to beryllium fantabulous for them.

Even big-name bundle tin pb to vulnerabilities

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It wasn’t truthful agelong agone that I astir apt would person scoffed astatine this quality similar “who needs this, you tin conscionable Google EGS and download the bundle there”, but past erstwhile earlier this twelvemonth radical were getting malware from downloading MSI Afterburner – easy 1 of my most-recommended pieces of bundle for PC gaming – it started to marque sense. 

What happened determination is that immoderate hackers enactment up a spoofed mentation of the MSI Afterburner bundle leafage that looked pretty legitimate – and it was up for astir a month. Again, this could beryllium avoided by simply practicing owed diligence – the fake tract had a ‘afterburner-msi.space’ URL, which is, uh, fishy to accidental the least, but again, I could wholly spot idiosyncratic not adjacent announcement that and autumn victim.

So portion close present it’s beauteous casual to conscionable benignant successful ‘Epic Games Store’ into Google and rapidly get the close leafage for a harmless download, I deliberation it’s beauteous naïve to deliberation that hackers couldn’t spoof the EGS landing leafage to summation entree to people’s computers.

Hopefully Microsoft leaves the OS open

But portion it’s undoubtedly a bully happening that Microsoft is letting a wider magnitude of bundle onto its store – which is simply a nice, harmless method of getting bundle – I don’t privation to usage it myself. I similar messing astir with my ain machine connected my terms, and hopefully Microsoft keeps that arsenic a possibility. 

In Windows 11, Microsoft isn’t going to fastener down the operating strategy to just the Microsoft Store and it astir apt ne'er will. But I privation to instrumentality a infinitesimal to accidental that portion I deliberation its decidedly a triumph for accessibility and ease-of-use to marque much bundle disposable done the authoritative Microsoft Store, I ne'er privation that to go the default mode you have to get software. Advertisement

One of the astir magical things astir computers is that they’re these small boxes filled with uncommon metallic that we transmission lightning into to bash immoderate we tin imagination of. And portion that volition inactive beryllium existent with the Microsoft Store, there’s decidedly thing magical astir utilizing caller bundle that was made successful someone’s basement – oregon adjacent making your ain bundle and moving it. 

The satellite of Windows bundle tin beryllium a small scary if you’re not careful, truthful decidedly usage the present more-expanded Microsoft Store if you conscionable privation to get the instrumentality you request and telephone it a day. But I don’t deliberation I’ll ever beryllium acceptable to springiness up the state to download bundle from wherever and truly trade my PC successful immoderate mode I privation to astatine the time. 

But past again, I’m a weirdo that really likes wiping her PC and installing a clump of Software to acceptable it up from scratch. And I don’t cognize galore different radical similar that, but we truly tin person the champion of some worlds, and I anticipation that’s however it stays.

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