Microsoft May Unify Windows Phone and Windows RT, Develop New User Interface

[AR2186]

What are the chances WP8.1 is Windows RT with the WP Shell/GUI, the phone components and an app translator for WP7/8 apps? This way they can unify the store, allow all WP apps to run on W8.1/RT8.1, have Windows Phone run on ARM or Intel chipsets (since RT is full W8 compiled for ARM) and finally not have to write apps for each platform (Cortana, Bing Apps, etc). WP8.1 would essentially use WinRT but understand WinPRT and WinXRT).

From a timing perspective, this makes the most sense to me, as Windows 8.1 GDR1 will supposedly unify the store and bring Cortana. This also would explain why they seem to have delayed the WP GDRs a few months and back ported a few of the features we were expecting for WP8.1 to GDR3

 

[Grimlock]

I'm losing faith in Microsoft doing this in a timely manner- I wouldn't be surprised in the least if OSX and iOS are unified before Windows.

 

[WanderingTraveler]

I'm losing faith in Microsoft doing this in a timely manner- I wouldn't be surprised in the least if OSX and iOS are unified before Windows.

I don't think that'll happen.

Remember the fact that it takes a lot of time and effort to merge two different platforms for coding (WinPRT and WinRT)

Plus, Apple keeps the Tablet/Phone ecosystem different from the PC Ecosystem. It's not going to change anytime soon.

 

[jedpatrickdatu]

There are already reports that Windows Phone 8.1 will allow support for 10-inch screens. This might be the first step in unifying WP and RT. I know it seems like Microsoft isn't doing anything about WP, but they recently adapted the "shut up and ship" policy, where they avoid making announcements too soon.

 

[fatclue_98]

At some point, the Desktop as we know it now, will go away/evolve. I don't think that has to mean touch-only Modern UI apps - shortcuts/icons on the Start Page surface will likely transparently launch a non-Modern UI app into whatever it needs, and then return to the Start Page rather than the traditional desktop. That's really all that needs to happen from the UI perspective. As I've mentioned before - Like Parallels on the Mac in Coalesce mode - an app from a virtual Windows machines launches and runs directly within Mac's Launcher UI - no launching into the full Windows VM first or dealing with Windows common dialog controls.

Be it Windows or Mac, the desktop is not going anywhere. There are programs that simply cannot run on ARM architecture, the military is not going to a mobile OS anytime soon, the country's infrastructure, etc. We "civilians" are just a small part of the computing world. Anybody who thinks that Netflix and Facebook is all that computers do is simply delusional. Forums like this one exist for the benefit of a small but vocal group who enjoy their computing devices. Those who sit behind a desk couldn't give a hairy rat's a$$ about touch interface or whether their tablet can coexist with their phone. They are paid to do a job with the equipment their employer provides.