Diving into Metro Windows Store app data

Software publisher Soluto made a PR splash last month when it issued its first PC purchasing guide, concluding that a Macbook was the best laptop for running Windows ... mostly because running Windows on Mac requires a clean install of the OS, unlike most default Windows laptops, which include varying amounts of OEM (original equipment manufacturer) software. Soluto is back today with a new "Monthly Insights" report that looks at Windows Store software usage. Windows Store apps are commonly referred to as "Metro" apps, despite Microsoft's abandonment of the Metro code name for the new "modern," touchscreen-focused interface. Soluto continues to reinforce the misnomer in this new report. Regardless, the results of the Windows Store iphone app usage survey aren't pretty. Analyzing 10,848 Windows 8 machines and 313,142 Windows Store iphone app launches across 9,634 unique apps, Soluto concluded that a whopping 61 percent of desktop users and a surprising 44 percent of Windows 8 tablet users launch Windows Store applications less than once per day. The Windows Communications Apps suite--a collection of Microsoft's Mail, People, Messaging, and Calendar applications--is the most commonly installed app, but the four programs only average 4 together.4 uses per week. On the flip side, the most engaging Windows Store iphone app is Yahoo Mail, clocking in at 26.91 average uses per week. Enough interestingly, the default Microsoft Mail application for Windows 8 supports Yahoo Mail, yet is employed by Windows users 6x less than Yahoo Mail. Soluto contends that the modern-style interface of Windows 8 makes adding accounts to Microsoft's Mail software so difficult that Yahoo Mail users give up and download the proprietary app. Read the full report on the Soluto site for more details about Windows Store application usage.