The Windows Store launched with 9,000 apps back on October 26 last year, and the next couple of months saw a steady addition to the number of apps available for download for Microsoft’s new platform.
While Redmond has so far remained mum on the total number of apps its flagship repository holds, websites like MetroStore Scanner keep an unofficial tabs on things. And the latest number over there as of this writing is 39,860 apps available worldwide.
The US market total stands at 26,293 and China remains the market with the biggest number of apps available for Windows 8 — it currently boasts 27,968 localized apps.
In other words, the number of apps added to the Windows Store has slowed down considerably in the last month or so, with only around 4,000 new applications showing up during this time period.
A lot of it undoubtedly has got to do with the season — Holidays and the New Year.
Microsoft actually slowed down the publishing of new apps during the Holiday break, and it is quite possible that offset the plans of some of the app developers, who delayed their development plans by a few weeks.
But a figure of 4,000 is pretty much a screeching grind, when you consider 26,000 new apps that showed up in the first two months since the launch of the Windows Store.
Still, a sprout in growth in the near future cannot be discounted — particularly with the Surface RT is set for launch in 13 new European markets (effectively doubling the countries where it is available) as well as the release of the Surface with Windows 8 Pro.
Whether things get back to the highs of the launch phase is the million dollar question.
