- Start
- May 12, 201490% CONFIDENCEfrom the source
- End
- May 13, 201490% CONFIDENCEfrom the source
Microsoft overhauls Windows 8.1 Store today, makes finding things easier (and handsomer)
- On Tuesday 13 May 2014 Microsoft pushed out an update to the Windows 8.1 Store, concentrating on usability, mouse and keyboard users and "some parity with Windows Phone"; the four main changes were detailed the same day on the Windows Experience Blog by Brandon LeBlanc, and Microsoft's support article documents the same update for Windows 8.1 (Enterprise, Pro), Windows RT 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2[1][2][3]
- A persistent navigation bar now carries Top charts, Categories and Collections, where previously users had to swipe down from the top (or right-click) to reach it - "Now, the green bar will always be there for users"; the support article lists the bar's entries as Top Free, Top Paid, Top Grossing, Best Rated, Picks for You, Collections and account info[1][2][3]
- Collections, part of the Windows Phone Store since 8.0, come to the Windows 8.1 Store landing page, curated by a team of experts - a Getting Started Collection, theme collections for music, travel and sports, and Red Stripe Deals, where 6 top apps and games are discounted at least 50% each week; the support article adds a new Collections page, collections in search results and an "Install All" option for certain collections[1][2][3]
- Multiple Featured titles are grouped on the landing page, bringing "new, trending and rising stars" forward, and on-sale titles "will have a strike-through of the original price with the sale price in red"; discount and promotional pricing and expiry now also appear on the home page, in search results, in lists, on description pages and next to the Buy button[1][2][3]
- Apps can be bought once and downloaded on compatible Windows devices: the Windows/Windows Phone icon marking an app or game as also available on Windows Phone was in the web store but missing from the Store app, and "That has now been remedied"; the support article calls this the universal apps badge for apps bought once and usable on both Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1[1][3]
- Further changes in the support article: larger screenshots and identified hardware requirements on app description pages, improved post-acquisition recommendations, a privacy shortcut in the charms, and hardware targeting that filters touch-required apps out of the live tile, Spotlight and Picks for You on non-touch PCs with a warning when one is selected; the same update improves the Windows Update client, adding SleepStudy diagnostics, performance and resiliency work and authenticated proxy support[3]
- The update followed the Windows 8.1 "spring update" of the previous month, which improved things for traditional mouse and keyboard users and pinned the Store to the taskbar by default; a Start Menu revamp was "expected" later that fall[1][2]
- To get it: Settings > Change PC Settings > Update & Recovery > Check Now - "Like all 'live' updates, it can take some time before your server sees it, so just don't be surprised if it takes a few hours"[1][3]
References 390% CONFIDENCE
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- [1]90%wpcentral.com/microsoft-overhauls-windows-81-store-todaywpcentral.com· Posted Jun 15, 2017· Starts May 12, 2014 ✓· Ends May 13, 2014 ✓· 97% of score
Happened as dated, per wpcentral.com: "Your membership journey starts here. Keep exploring and earning more as a member. La…"
- [2]95%Windows Store refresh makes it easier to find apps | Windows Experience Blogblogs.windows.com· Published May 13, 2014· 1% of score
Microsoft's[3] own Windows Experience Blog, dated 13 May 2014, confirms the Windows Store refresh - the persistent navigation bar and new Collections page the pin describes - rolled out "today", matching the pin's stored 12-14 May 2014 window.
- [3]93%Windows 8.1 Store and Windows Update client improvements: May 13, 2014 - Microsoft Supportsupport.microsoft.com· Published May 13, 2014· 1% of score
Microsoft's own support article, dated May 13, 2014, corroborates the same Windows[2] 8.1 Store update - the persistent navigation bar, Collections page, and universal-app badges - matching the pin's stored date.
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