The next version of Windows might just be called ‘Windows’

It’s no secret that Microsoft wants to create one operating system that will work on tablets, phones, and PCs. At the moment it has Windows RT for tablets, Phone, and Windows 8 for PCs and hybrids. It’s a big confusing, and the first step towards creating a unified operating system might end up being using one unified name for all three types of devices.

Very recently Microsoft seems to have moved away from the ‘Windows X’ moniker, instead just referring to their software as plain old Windows. Cases in point: adverts for the Lumia 930 (below) only mentions Windows, the HTC One M8 was declared as being for Windows, and the latest ads for Microsoft’s virtual assistant Cortana don’t mention Windows Phone at all. Either Microsoft has decided that mentioning the exact name doesn’t really matter, or they’re moving forward with the OS mergers.

Other hints at this new naming dynamic have been found in the plans for future updates. The release schedule for Windows 9 seems to emphasise a number of regular updates to the upcoming OS rather than the occasional big updates that we’ve had in the past, and people have taken this to mean that it the end of big software launches from Microsoft.

Chances are this might just be a simplified marketing strategy to emphasise things being Windows, but we really don’t know. Only time will tell, how much time has yet to be seen. [The Verge]