Microsoft Corp.’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) new operating system hasn’t been out for that long, and already its online app store has surpassed 20,000 apps. It’s a long ways behind Apple (700,000) and Google Play (600,000) but not a bad start.
According to PC World the numbers do vary by region – in Canada, we’re at 14,000. But around 500 new apps are appearing each day, putting the store on pace for 40,000 apps by year’s end.
Click here to read: Windows 8 apps store cracks 20,000, most of them free
Building a diverse application development ecosystem will be key to the success of the mobile variant of Windows 8, and particularly to the commercial success of Microsoft’s Surface tablet, which runs Windows 8 RT, a version of the OS solely reliant on the app store for software.