When you can self source all the significant aspects of a "store", why have a "store"?<p>The only reason I can see is to advertise the availability of the app and link to it's location for manual updates. But, but, security and malware scanning? Already built into Windows. And "stores" have not proven to be any better.<p>Maybe there is something to be said for this but is searching a "store" really that much of an innovation over searching the web?<p>A "store" is really just a monopoly control gateway --- as Apple and Google have proven.
Does using the Win32 format mean they don't support 64 bit?<p>Anyway:<p>> The other big change is that developers would be able to host software on their own content delivery networks<p>Is exactly the thing that would have made the store relevant to begin with. If they make it easy enough to publish software in the store, and assuming it also enables auto updating, this is actually a good step to move Windows in direction of a modern / painless operating system.