Windows 8 Will Have An App Store And A “Human Interaction Platform”
Microsoft's Windows chief Steve Sinofsky said he was ready to start talking about Windows 8 on Monday, and today he followed up on his promise by listing the feature teams who are working on the next version of Microsoft's flagship product.
Context & Ripple Effects
The confirmation follows a choreographed rollout: Steve Sinofsky said Monday that Microsoft was finally ready to discuss Windows 8 (ready to start talking about Windows 8), and the feature-team list delivered today makes good on it. It also validates what Liliputing reported back in April about an integrated store landing in the next Windows, and extends the arc that began with early claims the OS would be "completely different" ("Completely Different" and "Mind-Blowing").
Two details stand out in the team list: a confirmed integrated app store, and a dedicated "Human Interaction Platform" team — evidence Microsoft is treating input and interface as first-class subsystems rather than bolt-on features, consistent with the groundwork laid in its own June preview of 'Windows 8'.
First-order effects
- Windows developers gain a built-in distribution channel in the OS itself, ending the era when third-party Windows software had no sanctioned storefront.
- Sinofsky's public team-by-team disclosure shifts Windows 8 communication from leaks to managed messaging under the Windows division.
Second-order effects
- Apple's store-centric model now has an answer on the dominant desktop OS, putting pressure on OEMs and ISVs who built businesses around unmediated Windows software distribution.
- A named Human Interaction Platform team signals new input paradigms will ship with the OS, forcing PC makers to plan hardware around touch and interaction changes rather than spec bumps alone.
Third-order effects
- If every major OS ships with its own store, app distribution consolidates into a gatekeeping layer controlled by the platform vendor — reshaping how Windows software is discovered, priced, and updated.
- Interface becoming a named platform investment points toward Windows converging across device classes, where one interaction model spans tablets and PCs.
The trend: Desktop operating systems are absorbing the mobile-era app-store model, turning platform vendors into mandatory intermediaries for software distribution.