An early build of Windows 8 seems to indicate the operating system is being tooled by Microsoft to compete against Apple’s iOS.
Indeed, the latest iteration of Microsoft’s flagship OS appears to be a cross-platform effort – designed to scale across a variety of devices.
As Paul Thurrott and Rafael Rivera of Within Windows note, a number of new features hint at “compatible” smartphone and tablet versions of the OS.
The above-mentioned features reportedly include a Welcome/Unlock Screen similar to WP7, a new Ribbon UI for Windows Explorer and a document reader that uses a packaged app model which “closely resembles” WP7 application packages.
“For this reason, we surmise that the AppX application type could be common to both Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 – codenamed ‘Apollo’,” the two hypothesized.
“[This would] provide developers with a way to write applications that target and can transition between a variety of devices, including traditional PCs, tablets, and phones.”
Still, as AppleInsider’s Josh Ong points out, none of the so-called “features” are even close to final, and could change “significantly” as Windows 8 continues to evolve.
Nevertheless, the evidence for a cross-platform Windows 8 is mounting steadily, with Microsoft confirming an ARM friendly version of the platform, and CEO Steve Ballmer emphasizing Redmond’s multi-device strategy for Windows.
“Whatever device you use…Windows will be there,” Ballmer recently vowed.
“Windows PCs will continue to adapt and evolve. Windows will be everywhere on every device without compromise.”
