Windows 8 apps to the Xbox One particular

　　Subsequent week, on October 18, Microsoft will release Windows eight.1, a fairly massive update that Microsoft hopes will ultimately give it relevance within the tablet space, and at the very same time make Windows eight much less abhorrent for desktop and laptop users. Microsoft is deluding itself, even though: Windows eight.1 certainly improves upon the horrid state of affairs that has persisted since the 1st public preview greater than two years ago, but there’s no way that it'll unseat iOS or Android inside the mobile arena. At best, the modifications created to Windows eight.1 will let the OS to continue along the incredibly gradual incline treaded by Windows 8. Subsequent year, even though, when Windows 9 is released across every single kind issue and unifies the app ecosystem across smartphones, tablets, and desktops, then Microsoft truly stands a likelihood against Google and Apple.
　　Ever due to the fact Windows Phone 7 limped out the gate in 2010, then the lackluster launch of Windows 8 a year later, it has been clear that Microsoft has been moving to merge the touch, mobile, and desktop ecosystems. From an early date, Microsoft was talking up how Windows 8′s Metro apps have been nearly compatible with Windows Telephone 7 - and after that, a little later, Microsoft produced lots of noise about how Windows Phone 8 would use the similar kernel and also other low-level libraries as Windows eight. Most recently, with Windows eight.1 and Windows Phone 8.1, Microsoft will edge yet closer to cross-platform compatibility having a shared app store.
　　Over the years, it seems just about every Microsoft vice president has discussed how Windows and Windows Phone apps are just about compatible - but, as evidenced by the slow development of Windows eight, Windows Phone, and their respective ecosystems, nearly compatible just is not great enough. The factor is, every person knows how great comprehensive cross-platform compatibility will be. Everyone knows that it would be the magic bullet that would instantaneously give Microsoft a possibility at competing against Apple and Google. This is the reason Microsoft keeps teasing us, keeps spinning a yarn, to assure everybody - customers, developers, and tech pundits - that it knows how important a unified ecosystem is.
　　With Windows 9, I bet that Bill Gates’ 1980s dream of Windows Everywhere will finally come to fruition. Barring a further civil war, I strongly anticipate that Windows 9 will run on smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, and everything else in amongst, and developers might be capable to create a single Windows app and have it run across each form aspect.
　　Hopefully, Windows 9′s unified ecosystem will resemble iOS: You pay a visit to the new app retailer (presumably becoming debuted in Windows 8.1), then you are only shown the apps that should work effectively on the type issue of your existing device. Developers will have the choice of having the ability to create one particular app that scales to distinctive screen sizes/resolutions, or one app with many views/layouts which are optimized for each and every screen size/resolution - however the primary factor is that the identical code will operate on any Windows 9 device, due to the fact the underlying kernel/libraries/abstraction layers are the same.
　　In one fell swoop, as an alternative to becoming coerced and cajoled by Microsoft into publishing apps for its distant-third platforms, the combined user bases and ecosystems will really make Windows 9 a desirable platform that could compete with iOS and Android when it comes to attain and money-making possible.
　　But what about game consoles? Effectively, when it comes to sheer numbers, consoles are nevertheless compact fry; over their whole seven-year span, Microsoft and Sony have only sold around 160 million Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles combined. By comparison, analysts estimate that 700 million smartphones and around 400 million PCs have been shipped in 2012 alone. Nevertheless, even though the absolute numbers are relatively modest, Microsoft knows full well that the usefulness and desirability of a application ecosystem grows exponentially using the addition of new type elements and use situations. Imagine should you could buy a single app on your Windows 9 smartphone, then have it automatically installed in your Windows 9 desktop and Windows 9 game console, or have your gameplay videos automatically sync out of your console for your smartphone and Pc - that’d be fairly amazing, suitable?
　　The fantastic news is that the Xbox 1 already seems to be compatible with Windows 8 apps, by virtue of operating a cut-down version of Windows eight for apps, alongside the Xbox OS for games. Microsoft hasn’t confirmed that you’ll be capable of run Windows 8 apps directly on the Xbox One particular, but we’d be surprised if that wasn’t the case. In the incredibly least, there will probably be an update for the Xbox A single - perhaps around the exact same time because the unified Windows 8 and WP8 app store is launched - that brings Windows 8 apps to the Xbox One particular. Then, by the time Windows 9 rolls about for smartphones/tablets/PCs, we really should have apps that run across the whole gamut of devices, including consoles.
　　If Microsoft had unified its mobile device, Computer, and console operating systems final year, together with the release of Windows eight, then I think the consumer computing landscape will be very, extremely various. Microsoft would almost certainly be on leading and calling the shots, as an alternative to trailing behind the large boys, squeaking tremulously for focus and not having it. As a consequence of prevarication, internal strife, gutless equivocation, and most likely a slew of other causes that we’ll never ever get for the bottom of, Microsoft has had three of its weakest OS releases in history: Windows Telephone 7 and 8, and Windows eight.
　　If Windows 9 is released subsequent year, Microsoft could stand a likelihood, specially if Windows 8.1 and the acquisition of Nokia can bolster its mobile efforts inside the meantime. Regardless of whether such a utopian unified platform can unseat iOS and Android, though, remains to become noticed. Apple and Google are not standing nonetheless, and continue to solidify their market share regardless of Microsoft’s finest efforts to keep relevant. If Windows 9 doesn’t come out in the subsequent 12 months, or if Microsoft doesn’t have some other super-secret plan up its sleeve, the company’s future will creep ever closer towards complete untenability.