Windows, Windows Phone Stores Have Over 560,000 Apps Combined: Microsoft

Microsoft has announced that the Windows Store and Windows Phone Store combined have over 560,000 apps.

The latest number has gone up by 35,000 apps from the 525,000 apps announced in November 2014, but the firm had not revealed app distribution figures. A report however claimed to have elicited a breakdown of that number, with 340,000 Windows Phone apps and 187,000 Windows apps. The new numbers revealed by Microsoft's "by the Numbers" page once again don't include app distribution figures.

Notably, Microsoft's Windows Phone Store back in August had more than 300,000 apps officially. The Windows Phone Store had reportedly touched 100,000 apps in June 2012, and the 200,000 apps mark in December 2013.

(Also see: Idea, Microsoft Partner to Offer Carrier Billing for Windows Phone Store)

Meanwhile, Microsoft is also nearing its scheduled event on January 21, where it is expected to unveil the Windows 10 consumer preview and a beta build of Windows 10 for smartphones and tablets.

The company had recently released the Phone Insider app, which gives registered Windows Insider users early access to pre-release OS updates. It is being speculated that the Phone Insider app will help the company roll out the initial preview version of Windows 10 for phones, which is also likely to miss out on some features. It will essentially help Microsoft to test Windows 10 for phones, so it can make the necessary changes in its final OS version.