Microsoft to offer peek at Windows Store - Updated

The US technology press have been invited to a Microsoft event at which the company will provide a sneak peek at its forthcoming Windows Store, an app market designed to integrate with Windows 8 that will compete directly with Apple’s app store.

In the two-hour presentation Microsoft is expected to drop details about what the Windows Store will look like, how apps will be certified, and what sort of revenue share will be on offer for developers.

The store is expected to go live shortly after the launch of Windows 8, predicted to come around the middle of the year.

The event is taking place overnight New Zealand time, so keep an eye out for updates in the morning.

What would you like Microsoft to announce at the Windows Store event? Post your comments below.

Update: Microsoft has revealed that it will match Apple's 30% revenue share for new apps, but will drop its share to 20% once apps have earned more than US$25,000.

As reported by CNet, Antoine Leblond, a corporate vice president of Windows Web Services, also revealed that Microsoft will provide tools for developers to create their own pricing models, including in-app subscription.

"We're going to give you a bigger bite of the Apple," Leblond says.

In design, the marketplace will emulate the 'metro' style of the Windows Phone OS and the upcoming Windows 8.

More than 100 languages will be supported, across 231 different markets.

The store will open in February 2012, when Windows 8 is launched in beta. App submissions for this launch will be by invitation only.