There have been various rumours about Windows Phone 8.1 being the next major update to Microsoft’s mobile platform and will follow in the footsteps of Microsoft’s Windows 8.1 update that has been available to tablets and PCs for a few weeks now. Since there are different things gong on in all those platforms under the Windows roof it makes sense to make every effort to unify the experience right? At least that is what Microsoft has been trying to do with things as they are today. We may not be fans of a touch friendly start screen on a non-touch machine but it is the same across the board and that level of consistency is very commendable as it removes the need for a deep learning curve to users of either one of Microsoft’s other products. Still that is not enough and that is why Microsoft is said to have been working quietly on an internal project codenamed Threshold after the ring in the Xbox game Halo that will see things more unified.
It will be interesting to see what comes of this since rumours about the impending merger of Windows RT and Windows Phone just get more intense each passing day and the newly unveiled Xbox One reveals Microsoft’s desire to have a one-stop home entertainment device fully powered by Windows that is not just another black box sitting in your living room as a game console.
There is not much known about Threshold but according to the ZDNet author who first broke these news, it will look to build on current strengths of the Windows platform to provide a consistent unified experience. We should hear more about Threshold going forward if at all it is something that the Windows teams have been working on in the last couple of years. However I think the rumoured working date (2015) is too far a timeline for something that could be a “killer”. There are many of us out here who enjoy bits of the Microsoft experience and a deep integration could be what we’re waiting for to be totally sold out.
