Earlier today Microsoft provided a treat to Windows Insiders once again by releasing what is the fifth build of Windows 10 in just over two weeks.
By far the fastest pace of builds we have seen throughout the Insider program.
Todays build, 10240, is believed to actually be what Microsoft considers the Release to Manufacturing or RTM build of Windows 10.
Whether it is RTM or not this build starts into motion a couple different processes.
First Microsoft will be sending this to OEM partners so they can begin to image it onto new hardware for retail.
Today we learned from HP that they will be able to ship you a brand new ready for Windows 10 computer that will be in your doorstep on 29 July 2015 if you order directly from their website.
Second Microsoft will be testing their production pipeline for distributing Windows 10 to the masses - today was the first stage of that test as they pushed 10240 to Windows Insiders already running a preview build of Windows 10.
Another area that Microsoft will be looking towards is beginning to merge their various app stores into one single source portal for Windows apps.
According to Windows Central, that Universal App store is now live and allows you to browse apps for the Windows 10 desktop and mobile devices. Although there is a link to Xbox apps that currently redirects to Xbox.com as that device is not expected to make the transition to Windows 10 until later this year.
Ultimately we should see other devices, such as HoloLens, become integrated into this single store as well.
In the meantime this new app portal allows you to browse desktop, tablet and mobile apps. You can see in the attached screenshots that although there are separate headers for Windows and Windows Phone you are actually browsing the same listings for each. The app page is labeled for PC or mobile device based on their compatibility.
Ultimately the Universal Windows Platform will allow developers to release apps that will adapt to the Windows 10 device they are on and not have to be released specifically for desktop and/or mobile.
This gallery is a series of screenshots from the new universal app store.
