The Future of Windows Phone and Windows RT is looking bleak, with small market shares compared to Android and iOS/OSX and low developer support, it seems like MS would throw in the towel with the release of MS Office in the iPad/iPhone and upcoming support for Android.
However that's not the case as MS plans on uniting 3 of their OS (Windows Phone, RT, and Xbox OS) as one. It is called Threshold for now and will be different compared to the Desktop variant since it will be Touch focus and based on the Modern UI instead of the traditional Desktop look. Here is everything to know about the new OS (info comes from ZDnet)
1. A single team developing all Windows variants. This team has been in place since July 2013 when Microsoft created the unified Operating System Group under Terry Myerson. This team works on the Windows Phone OS, Windows Embedded, Windows (for PCs and tablets) and the Xbox One operating systems.
2. A single "core." Windows Phone, Windows 8, Windows RT and Windows Server are all built on top of a common "core," known as the NT core. Because of Microsoft's layered architectural approach, each OS builds on top of this core using different pieces that make sense for the form factor/hardware on which it runs.
3. A unified Store and commerce model across all platforms. Microsoft has taken steps toward unifying its Windows Phone Store and Windows Store over the past year. But it still has a ways to go to reach the holy grail: A single store that spans all platforms. The next major versions of Windows Phone and Windows (both codenamed Threshold) may be where a single Store debuts. I am not sure when Xbox apps will be added to that Store.
4. A unified developer platform. Microsoft execs have been promising for years that one day, developers will be able towrite once and run on any Windows variant. To get there, Microsoft is working to unify, as much as possible, the core set of application programming interfaces (APIs) and the developer tooling for building apps for Windows Phone, Windows and the Xbox operating system. Microsoft has many of the pieces in place now that allow Windows and Windows Phone developers to reuse more of their code when writing what are called "Universal Windows apps."
I'm very excited with MS in the future of mobile technology
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