The other type of app is what we normally think of when we think of software running on Windows--what Microsoft calls "desktop apps," though individual Microsoft folk have occasionally slipped up and called them "legacy apps." Desktop apps will be sold and serviced as they always have. You can get to them from the Microsoft Store, but you'll typically be taken to the publisher's website. You can buy them from retail outlets and install them that way. Other ways to buy them include various digital-downloads purveyers--from Amazon.com to Steam to direct from the developer.

So while the new Windows 8-style apps are curated and approved by Microsoft, similar to the way Apple handles iOS apps for the iPad and iPhone, traditional desktop software will still be available the way it has always been, and Microsoft doesn't approve or otherwise edit desktop applications.

Now let's take a quick look at preinstalled Windows 8 apps.

Your Windows 8 desktop PC should be set up and ready to use, if not fully tweaked to your personal preferences yet. Now let's take a quick tour of some of the preinstalled Windows 8 apps. This is not a comprehensive list--just a quick overview of some key apps.