A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. (Photo: REUTERS)

Windows 11, which will hit the market by the end of this year, will include a new Windows Store that will let software developers use their own in-app payment systems and pay no commissions to Microsoft.

It will also let users both find and run Android mobile applications on their laptops and PCs, thanks to technology assistance from both Amazon and Intel.

The moves stand in contrast to Apple's "walled garden" approach, in which the iPhone maker only lets users download software from the App Store and imposes controls on software developers, including a requirement to use Apple's in-app payment systems and pay commissions of up to 30%.

The changes amount to a clash of visions between Microsoft, whose market capitalization recently topped 2 trillion USD, and Apple, the only other US-listed company to hit a 2 trillion USD valuation.

It also challenges Google Play Store, which also charges developers commissions.