Microsoft Office first desktop app to hit Windows 8 store

From CNET News.com: Dominated by Metro apps, the Windows Store has landed its first desktop program.

Office 2010 is now available through the online store, making good on Microsoft's promise that it would offer both desktop and Metro apps for Windows 8 users. But there is a key difference between the two.

Users can download both free and paid Metro apps directly from the store. A simple Install button downloads and then installs the app in the background. An alert flashes on the screen once the app is fully installed.

The listings for desktop applications serve more as pointers to external Web sites where you can grab the software. The page for Microsoft Office provides a description and details about the product. But instead of a download button, the page displays a "Go to developer's website" link. That link opens Internet Explorer, taking you to a Microsoft Web page where you can buy different editions of Office 2010.

Still, the inclusion of desktop apps in the Metro-based Windows store is a handy and helpful touch. Office is a logical choice as the first candidate since it is one of Microsoft's bread-and-butter products. But I hope to see the store expand to offer a full complement of desktop programs.

I'd like to see not just commercial and paid applications but a wide variety of shareware and freeware utilities devoted toward Windows users -- in other words, something like Apple's Mac app store. Of course, it's likely to take Microsoft time to fully ramp up the store. But a Windows Store with a full array of products and utilities would be of tremendous value to users. And beyond kicking in its own revenue, the store could help Microsoft drive adoption of Windows 8.

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