Windows Store in the context of Digital music

Application software is software that is intended for end-user use – not operating, administering or programming a computer. An application (app, application program, software application) is any program that can be categorized as application software. Application is a subjective classification that is often used to differentiate from system and utility software.

The abbreviation app became popular with the 2008 introduction of the iOS App Store, to refer to applications for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Later, with the release of the Mac App Store in 2010 and the Windows Store in 2011, it began to be used to refer to end-user software in general, regardless of platform.

GeoGebra (a portmanteau of geometry and algebra) is an interactive geometry, algebra, statistics and calculus application, intended for learning and teaching mathematics and science from primary school to university level. GeoGebra is available on multiple platforms, with apps for desktops (Windows, macOS and Linux), tablets (Android, iPad and Windows) and web. As of 2025, it is owned by Indian edutech firm Byju's.

Windows 8 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was released to manufacturing on August 1, 2012, made available for download via MSDN and TechNet on August 15, 2012, and generally released for retail on October 26, 2012.

Windows 8 introduced major changes to the operating system's platform and user interface with the intention to improve its user experience on tablets, where Windows competed with mobile operating systems such as Android and iOS. In particular, these changes included a touch-optimized Windows shell and start screen based on Microsoft's Metro design language, integration with online services, the Windows Store, and a new keyboard shortcut for screenshots. Many of these features were adapted from Windows Phone, and the development of Windows 8 closely parallelled that of Windows Phone 8. Windows 8 also added support for USB 3.0, Advanced Format, near-field communication, and cloud computing, as well as a new lock screen with clock and notifications. Additional security features—including built-in antivirus software, integration with Microsoft SmartScreen phishing filtering, and support for Secure Boot on supported devices—were introduced. It was the first Windows version to support ARM architecture under the Windows RT branding. Single-core CPUs and CPUs without PAE, SSE2 and NX are unsupported in this version.

Windows Phone Store was a digital distribution platform developed by Microsoft for the Windows Phone. It allowed publishers to release apps which could be downloaded to users smartphones.

The app store was initially launched as Windows Phone Marketplace alongside Windows Phone 7 in October 2010. With the rollout of Windows Phone 7.5, Microsoft unveiled the Marketplace, which offered over-the-air installation of apps. In August 2012, Microsoft renamed the Marketplace to Windows Phone Store. In July 2015, the Windows Phone Store was replaced by the Windows Store, which would act as a unified solution for all Windows-powered devices. This process was complemented by the Apps on Windows website, an interim solution before the unified Windows Store. The Windows Phone Store shut down for Windows Phone 8.1 systems on December 16, 2019.

Windows 8.1 is a release of the Windows NT operating system based on Windows 8 developed by Microsoft. It was released to manufacturing on August 27, 2013, and broadly released for retail sale on October 17, 2013, about a year after the retail release of its predecessor, and succeeded by Windows 10 on July 29, 2015. Windows 8.1 was made available for download via MSDN and Technet and available as a free upgrade for retail copies of Windows 8 and Windows RT users via the Windows Store. A server version, Windows Server 2012 R2, was released on October 18, 2013.

Windows 8.1 aimed to address complaints of Windows 8 users and reviewers on launch. Enhancements include an improved Start screen, additional snap views, additional bundled apps, tighter OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive) integration, Internet Explorer 11 (IE11), a Bing-powered unified search system, restoration of a visible Start button on the taskbar, and the ability to restore the previous behavior of opening the user's desktop on login instead of the Start screen. Windows 8.1 also added support for then emerging technologies like high-resolution displays, 3D printing, Wi-Fi Direct, and Miracast streaming, as well as the ReFS file system.