The Windows rumor mill has begun swirling in recent weeks about Microsoft’s next generation operating system, Windows 8, and the features we might see when the product finally hits the market sometime next year.
One of the major changes the company could be making is the addition of an app store, similar to that of competitors Apple and Google. However, thanks to lawsuits which have been filed by Apple to discourage other companies from using the term “app store,” it appears that Microsoft has chosen to simply refer to their offering as the “Windows Store.”
The evidence of the existence of the Windows Store was revealed late last week by Russian website Mswin in screenshots of a leaked copy of Windows 8, build 7955. Like its competitors, the store would provide easy installation of software packages from a centralized market that users would be able to sync to from multiple computers.
“The app store will likely be HTML5 based and deliver applications straight to the users desktops from Microsoft’s Azure Cloud,” writes Tom Warren of WinRumors. “Applications from Microsoft’s Windows Store will sync across any Windows Live linked PCs, allowing users to roam apps and settings across multiple desktops and laptops.”
Rumors of such cloud-syncing capabilities surfaced over a week ago when users of the MyDigitalLife forum discovered “Roaming Options” in the User Accounts Control Panel settings of a leaked Windows 8 build. Several UI and accessibility options will be synced, including desktop wallpapers and colors, language and speech recognition settings, search history, networking profiles, and more.
Leaked images of the Windows 8 Out of Box Experience (OOBE), however, shows that users may not be required to use the cloud sync option. Instead, they will have the option to create a local account that may only be used for the computer on which it is created.
Of course the reliability of these leaks is questionable, and some earlier screenshots showing the existence of a Windows app store have been proven to actually be third-party software programmed by a Chinese firm. We will likely have to wait until Microsoft’s official launch of Windows 8, which, according to Business Insider, will take place at this year’s Professional Development Conference (PDC) beginning September 13th.
