Aside from design consistency, the most important thing that Microsoft need to keep a handle on for Windows 10X is the app situation. As in, offering a streamlined selection of apps for the new OS.
Gone are the days of multiple variants of the base apps for different flavors of the operating system.
Throwback to the shudders of the Windows RT days.
The era of Microsoft having two different apps for the same purpose is finally on its way out, and the proof is in how the company has streamlined its Skype app. It has officially replaced the React Native version of the client with the Electron version.
As in, the Microsoft Store version of Skype has been replaced with the standalone client.
With the release of Skype version 8.61 this week, the Skype team announced that it was introducing an enhanced Skype for Windows 10:
“Skype for Windows 10 and Skype for Desktop are becoming one so we can provide a consistent experience. This lets us give the newest updates and improvements regardless of where you get Skype, from the Microsoft Store or from skype.com. We tried to preserve all the functionality of existing Skype for Windows 10 experience, but there are a couple of things that are not yet supported on this platform.”
For those unfamiliar, Skype for Windows 10 is the version of the app that is bundled and ships with the OS and gets updated via the Microsoft Store. While Skype for Desktop is the traditional standalone program that can be downloaded and installed manually.
That said, this transition is not without a cost.
The previous Skype for Windows 10 app had a few unique features that have not made the cut in its replacement. It had the Share Charm integration, which is now gone, and was actually one of the few apps that supported the My People feature that has now been deprecated.
A price to pay for consistency, which this change is all about.
