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Microsoft to merge Windows Phone Store and Windows Store: Report

Microsoft to merge Windows Phone Store and Windows Store: Report

By Anupam Saxena | Updated: 27 September 2013 16:16 IST

It looks like Microsoft is all set to merge its Windows Phone Store and Windows Store into a single entity, if a new report is to be believed.

According to a report by The Verge, Microsoft's Terry Myerson, head of the operating systems group, confirmed the decision in an internal company meeting in which he also committed to the next iterations of Windows and Windows Phone, expected to be ready in Spring 2014. The website cites people familiar with the company's plans as the source for this information.

The report adds that it's not clear how the combined Windows Phone Store and Windows Store app marketplace would work. It's worth pointing out that the Microsoft executive had previously hinted that he saw the future of Windows RT in phones and small tablets. Myerson had also said that all apps brought to end users should be available on all devices, as noted by the report.

This may imply that Microsoft could allow apps built for Windows Phone to run on future versions of Windows RT or even on Windows 8.1 (through emulation). Perhaps, it could also adopt a system similar to Apple's iOS App Store that offers apps for the iPad, iPhone and universal apps that run on both devices. It could display apps built for each respective platform depending on the device the Store is running on. Even if phone apps don't run on Windows tablets, it could just display their tablet versions.

The Windows Phone Store already offers one-click remote downloads through the web interface of the store. So, it's also possible that just like the Google Play Store, the merged Windows Store also starts offering this functionality.

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