With less than five weeks to go before the official launch of Windows 8, the number of apps available for the few RTM users to download from the Windows Store continues to increase. This weekend, two third party reports differed on how many apps are currently published in Microsoft"s online app store.
The WinAppUpdate.com site, a new site established by Wes Miller, the Research VP at the third party analyst company Directions on Microsoft, posted up word late on Friday that, according to its numbers, there are now 2,079 Windows 8 apps available on the Windows Store worldwide.
Miller also notes that the number of paid apps in the store is increasing. 89 percent of the apps were free on September 19th, but now that number has gone down to 83 percent. It seems likely that, while the number of free Windows 8 apps will always be more than the paid apps, we will see more and more apps that will require money to get the full version.
However, McAkins Online, which has been monitoring the numbers of Windows 8 apps in the Windows Store for a number of months, posted up its own app store update on Saturday. That site claims the number of apps stands at the moment at 1,634. The site also has a more detailed break down of the app categories. It"s not a surprise to learn that Games is still the biggest category for Windows 8 apps, with 307 games now published in the store.
So, which site is correct? We can never really know for sure, since Microsoft can also remove apps from the store after they are published. The numbers may also include or exclude the desktop apps, which are listed in the store but cannot be directly downloaded or purchased from the store front.
One thing is for sure: We will continue to see a large increase in Windows 8 apps available for download in the Windows Store in the 33 days before Windows 8 is launched. The only question is just how many of these apps will be available for users on October 26th.
Source: WinAppUpdate.com | Image via McAkins Online