Microsoft is emulating Apple’s steps and setting out to form an app store for its Windows 8 platform. Seeing as Apple’s App Store and iTunes have profited greatly, it wouldn’t hurt Microsoft to try out a model of their own.

The software giant has announced a Windows 8 app store, thus giving work to application developers to build programs for the upcoming operating system, which could be sold on the company’s application store.

The Windows 8 application store is expected to open up as soon as the first shipment of the OS commences. Windows distinguished engineer, Aleš Holeček, says that ,“The new store will be for people running Windows 8 looking specifically for Windows 8 Metro-style applications.”

Microsoft is looking to divide the online store into categories that might include Education, Finance, Games, Lifestyle and Social. A curated section called “SpotLight” is said to highlight Windows 8 applications that users would find interesting.

With the launch of the online application store, the search giant intends to strengthen its race against Android and Apple. Windows 8 is a touch-based operating system, which looks to compete with the Apple iOS and Android operating systems.

The company has already demonstrated a page for uploading Windows 8 apps, with which processing an app and launching it on the app store within a day of submission will be made possible.