Windows 8 Secrets: RTM Windows Store Revealed

This week, Microsoft documented how it will be opening the Windows Store to paid apps beginning when it releases Windows 8 to manufacturing. But we know you’re curious what this will look like. So in this this new co-post, your intrepid “Windows 8 Secrets” co-authors show you the RTM version of the Windows Store.

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“Currently, all the apps that are available in the Windows Store are free for customers to acquire—keeping with the preview nature of the Windows 8 releases to date,” Microsoft’s Antoine Leblond writes in the latest post to the Windows Store for Developers blog. “At Windows 8 RTM (Release To Manufacturing), all developers signing up for a company account and living in one of the supported countries will be able to publish and offer paid apps.”

As you might imagine, Microsoft has in fact finalized Windows 8 already and is debating over only minor issues such as the final build number. So with Windows 8 RTM imminent, the store is being prepped for this new milestone in which paid apps will finally be offered to customers.

And with a bit of URL trickery, we were able to gain access to the RTM version of Windows Store. So here’s an early and exclusive peek.

Note the "New apps for RTM" tile

Note the carat next to the Games heading

All of the built-in apps are getting updated

Paid game landing page

Paid app with buy and try options

We expect the RTM version of Windows Store to become available to everyone in as soon as a few days.

Have you seen any Windows 8 leaks you’d like to know more about? Drop us a line and let us know!

–Paul Thurrott and Rafael Rivera