Windows Store Finally Crosses The 50,000 Apps Milestone

It took a long time coming, but finally, finally, Microsoft’s flagship apps repository has crossed the fifty thousand apps mark, at least according to unofficial sources.

One look at the MetroStore Scanner website (which now boasts a new domain URL itself) shows that Windows Store has just reached the important milestone, and no less than 50,380 apps are now on offer to people running Windows 8.

A detailed breakdown shows that while China still leads the charge when it comes to the number of local apps available at 34,859, the US market is within striking distance and provides access to 34,451 unique apps to users in the United States.

Expect the US market to overtake the premier position in the very near future.

Still, for what it’s worth, Microsoft expected to see a lot more — the company made public its desire to see at least a hundred thousand apps by February this year.

Nevertheless, Redmond has amped up its efforts to bring more and more developers on board the Windows 8 platform, with coding marathons around the globe among other incentives.

The technology titan is currently running a special campaign whereby it is offering $100 gifts to developers who code for the Windows 8 platform. An incentive, the company hopes, will boost the number of apps submitted to its Store.

All things considered, expect the number to rise in the coming months, not just due to the special promotion but also as the platform itself gains traction and bigger companies start to notice.

The user base of Metro apps could potential swivel to hundreds of millions in the future, as both Windows 8 and tablets based on the platform find more success. By then, the market will be far too big to ignore. Until then, baby steps will do.