It's been a little over two years since Windows 10 launched, and Microsoft decided it's now time to change the name of its app and music store it we all know as the Windows Store. So get ready to say goodbye to the Windows Store and hello to the Microsoft Store.
As The Verge reports, the latest Release Preview of Windows 10 includes a rebranding of the Windows Store. It's not just the name that's changing, the icon is different too and now depicts a shopping bag with the Microsoft four square logo in the center.
By changing the name to Microsoft Store, it now matches the bricks-and-mortar stores Microsoft is steadily rolling out in major markets. The latest of those has just been announced for Regent Street in London. Naming them the same could be a little confusing as they offer different products, but maybe this is a sign they won't for much longer.
A crossover of products would make sense. Offering the whole range of Surface products, third-party hardware, and Xbox-branded goods through the digital Microsoft Store could certainly boost sales, especially if it was combined with free delivery or in-store pick-up options. For the physical stores, there are marketing opportunities galore centered around "leaving the Microsoft Store but taking it with you," for example.
We'll have to wait and see if that's what Microsoft is planning. For now, just be prepared for the name Windows Store to disappear from your Windows 10 experience.