When Windows 11 hit devices with its fresh look and streamlined functionality, Microsoft also released a newly redesigned Store interface to match the sleek new OS. The redesign also made it, in part, to the older and still superior Windows 10 OS in the form of a new storefront, streamlining the brand-wide Microsoft experience even more. Now, as spotted over at apps.microsoft.com, it seems like the giant is in the process of bringing the online Microsoft Store into the light with a Windows 11-themed redesign too.
Heading to Microsoft.com takes you directly to the company’s online storefront, the Microsoft Store. While the official and publicly available storefront doesn’t look any different from its last update, a Twitter account by the name of @FirecubeStudios spotted a brand new redesign at apps.microsoft.com courtesy of @SapphirePublic.
In agreement with the current naming conventions over at Microsoft, the new page bears the title ‘Windows Apps Preview.’ Even though it has a sleek new look, the new page offers the same wide array of content available on the utility currently in use. The online storefront is particularly useful if you want to explore Microsoft’s wide range of products, like the modern staple in mobile, PC, and console gaming, Xbox.
In terms of user interface and design language, Windows Apps Preview looks much more in line with Windows 11. Chief among the new design details are rounded corners to replace the rigidity of the Windows 10 UI and brand new minimalist icons. Windows Apps Preview is far more understated than the current storefront and carries the quiet dignity and air of progress that shipped with Windows 11. Reminiscent of the Windows 11 initial launch, some features are missing.
For starters, Windows Apps Preview doesn’t have a dark mode. Another thing missing from the preview is anything resembling a game. At the moment, the utility only hosts apps, but luckily the Xbox Companion app gives you access to all Microsoft’s gaming titles, so the situation is far from hopeless. Other aesthetic elements are missing at this stage too, but it’s pertinent to remember that this is a preview of what’s to come. We’re still waiting for an update on the Windows 11 start menu vanishing, though.
