Microsoft launches Office Store, for third party Office 2013 apps

Microsoft has launched a new feature for Office 2013 which is very similar to the Windows Store for Windows 8 apps. Called the new Office Store, it allows third party app developers to create, publish, sell and distribute Microsoft Office related apps. The store is specifically designed for Office 2013 applications.

Few weeks ago Microsoft announced the availability of its Office 2013 productivity suite. In yesterday's Office Store announcement, Microsoft revealed its new features.

Microsoft has continued its tradition with the implementation of Metro UI on its every product, including Windows Store and Windows Phone Marketplace. The Office Store is also entirely based on similar-looking UI which allows consumers to not only feel at home but also get detailed information about third party apps with user submitted reviews.

“Since these apps are all based on web-standards, they load straight away – there’s no need for IT to pre-load them. If you use a new machine, just sign-in with your Microsoft account and all your apps will be there. Best of all, when you send a document that was created using an app (like an infographic in an Excel spreadsheet), a reference to it travels with the document so the recipient can start using that app too. Improving your productivity (and your co-workers’) has never been so simple!” - Microsoft states in their blogpost.

According to Microsoft, the Office Store has been designed for three main reasons - integration, simplicity and developer opportunity, aimed to make the working and operation of Office Store very easy and simple, encouraging users to use different kind of apps. You can easily integrate and discover the best of the web and apps with the features of Office and SharePoint.

With Microsoft’s Office Store, various opportunities are available for the developer community, as they can build productivity apps for users. Once after successful development and submission of an application, its features enables them to reach a huge amount of audience and monetize.

Visit: http://officepreview.microsoft.com/en-us/store/