Windows is the world’s most popular desktop operating system, but it’s also a mobile and tablet operating system as well – as if you didn’t already know. Windows RT, Windows 8 and Windows Phone prove that the unified Microsoft goal that Steve Ballmer was aiming for, is currently extremely fragmented, but that won’t always be the case.
Speaking at the UBS Global Technology Conference, Julie Larson-Green, Microsoft’s head of devices, hinted that at least one of the three operating systems was going to be canned at some point in the future. Of course Microsoft has no plans on abandoning its phone or tablet OS, nor the money maker that is Windows – so it’s likely that the plans are edging more towards unification.
Windows chief Terry Myerson has also hinted at a future without three completely separate operating system, with the exec seeing Windows RT and Windows Phone becoming one within the future. Microsoft is already rumoured to be working on a unified app store for the two platforms, with the first step being a simplified developer registration process where there isn’t need for two different registrations.
The first steps to unite the two operating systems is widely believed to take place next year, with the Windows Phone 8.1 operating system, but it’s not yet known how far the company will take it.
