Updated Windows Store makes desktop app discovery easier

Microsoft quietly rolled out a big update to its Windows Store yesterday, and it offers a slew of improvements.

The store, available for those on devices running Windows 8.1, brings significant changes to the user interface — with a huge focus on improving discovery of new apps. This was a big problem for the company previously, and plenty of users complained.

Above: Windows Store now features app collections.

Image Credit: Microsoft

One way the company is fixing discovery (and likely the biggest difference you’ll notice) is the introduction of collections, which is a crop of loosely related apps that should help Windows users get more out of the platform. It’s a bit different from a standard list of recommended apps, and I’m guessing it might even be a bit more effective in getting people to download the most popular apps on the platform.

Another noticeable change is the big increase in the number of links to apps on nearly every page in the updated version of the store.

Overall, the new Windows store seems far more friendly to those that prefer to use a desktop rather than a touch screen device. That should make many long-time Windows users pretty happy.

For a closer look at the new Windows Store update, check out the screenshots below.