Following in the footsteps of Apple’s success with the iTunes app store, the new Windows 8 will reportedly have a very similar app-based marketplace.

Microsoft is expected to reveal its Windows 8 app store plans this week, detailing how it will challenge Apple’s thriving third-party download ecosystem with its new breed of notebooks, desktops and tablets. The unveil will come at an event on Tuesday, Fox News reports, and is expected to offer free and paid apps along with trial versions and in-app payment systems, just as on Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform. – SlashGear.com

Windows 8 will undoubtedly be a very different animal than Windows 7. It remains to be seen just how much a departure it will be, but the trend is leaning more towards streamlined app-based software that is compatible with both personal computers and handheld devices. The popularity of tablets are on the rise and with it comes a new demand for uniformity between the 2 counterparts. People want to be able to switch back and forth between their computers and their tablets in a seamless fashion.

The latest Apple operating system, OS X Lion, was more of an upgrade to the previous OS (Snow Leopard) than a completely new one. It kept most of the same framework of Snow Leopard, but added new functionality. This includes trackpad gesture capabilities similar to what most people are used to on their smartphones, better sharing options, full-screen modes. In a way, it’s kind of like using a giant iPhone with much more advanced features. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though.

Will Windows 8 also go this route? It remains to be seen, but I’m guessing that the whole interface will at least be much more simplistic to cater to smaller devices such as smartphones and tablets. I mean, just take a look at this screen shot from the Windows 8 Beta start screen:

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Windows 8 is rumored to have a release date of somewhere around February or March of 2012, although it could even be earlier. Windows is a bit behind in the tablet world, so they’ve been pushing forward very quickly with their beta testing to try to meet an ever increasing demand in mobile computing.