Microsoft has announced that the Windows 8 Store has just reached 100,000 apps. It took just over seven months for the store to reach that milestone, but it's a mark that Microsoft had set from the start.

In case you're wondering how the big players stack up, it took Google's Android store two years to reach the 100,000 milestone and Apple's App Store more than one year and a half to reach the 100,000 mark.

So, why is this a big deal? Because it means that Windows tablet users now have a number of apps to select from. It also means that Windows 8 is finally catching up to the big dogs. The Windows Store also got a nice facelift with the update of Windows 8.1. You can check out the newly designed Windows Store right now.

Does This Mark Matter?

Microsoft has proved that its Windows Store now has 100,000 apps. Okay, now what? Even though the store has a lot of apps, that doesn't necessarily mean that those apps are fantastic, right? Right. At the moment, the Windows Store is still lightweight compared to what Apple and Android offer.

It's also worth pointing out that there are many big apps that are not appearing in the Windows Store. One of the biggest absent apps is Microsoft's own Office Suite. Surely, Microsoft will be bringing the Office Suite to the app store, but that hasn't happened yet. But, there are some reasons why the new 100,000 mark deserves some attention too.

What This Milestone Means

Simply put: developers haven't given up on Microsoft yet. Developers are still creating apps for Windows 8 and that's really an important distinction. After just a few months, developers gave up on BlackBerry, for example. If you currently have a Microsoft device, you can rest assured knowing that your device will have lots of apps to go with it, and, hopefully, Microsoft's app store will keep growing.

There's something else to consider, though. One of the reasons why the Windows Store is growing so quickly could be that Microsoft is approving almost all apps that pass through the store. If this is the case, it's not necessarily a good thing.

Companies like Apple are really picky when it comes to which apps pass, in comparison. Let's hope that Microsoft is being a bit discretionary when it comes to approved apps. Otherwise, the app store will be full of apps that are mediocre at best.

New Apps Are Coming

As mentioned, many big name apps are still missing from the Windows Store. In order to attract tablet and smartphone users, these apps have to make it to the store. Right now, the store is full of apps, yes, but not all of those apps are worth testing out.

Still, Microsoft promised its users that the company would reach 100,000 apps, and it has lived up to this promise. Do these numbers make you want to buy a Microsoft tablet more than before, or do you not care at all about the apps that are now in the MS Store?