?
You mean there are people who use the Play Store for downloading things that aren't apps?
Google is rolling out an update to its Play storefront from Tuesday, with bigger images for Android 2.2 users and an improved checkout system to help them pay for what they fancy. Google Play redesign Bigging it up (click to enlarge) "The new design focuses on bigger images that jump off the page," enthused Michael …
Indeed. I used it to rent a movie once. I was allowed to download it, which was fortunate because it was HD and would not have streamed nicely. If I recall correctly you are given a fairly generous number of days to hold onto it before you watch it, followed by something like 48 hours to finish watching it/watch it again.
tl;dr Yes.
The Google Play store app isn't listed on Google Play, so presumably the store app does a periodic check for an update (no idea if it notifies you or not if there's an update).
What about custom ROM users (e.g. CyanogenMod) ? I'm guessing they'll have to wait for a new gapps apk to turn up at some point.
To be honest, I've always found every incarnation of the store app to be hard to navigate - if you know the name of the app, then the search is fine. Otherwise, it's a complete pain. It needs Appbrain-style ways of sorting the apps, IMHO.