A new rumour is circulating that states that Microsoft may be intending to create a universal operating system which would cater not only to its PC businesses, but to its console and phone businesses as well. This operating system would be the successor to Windows 8.

The rumour stems from an anonymous source who told This Is Next that Microsoft intends for this to happen within the next four years – which makes sense considering Windows 8’s expected three-year lifespan. However, this would also imply that the Xbox 720 will launch only in 2015.

The source went on to say that the new operating system would be rebranded with a new name, a name which more accurately reflects Microsoft’s “vision for the future”. 

This rumour was lent some credibility by the way of recent statements from Andy Lees, the president of Windows Phone.  At the Microsoft Partner Conference, Lees stated that the world is at an “inflection point” in Moore’s Law. 

Moore’s Law describes a trend in computing hardware – it states, “The number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years.” While over the last 50 years this trend has proven accurate, Lees explains we have now reached a point where all the vital elements of a PC can now be placed on a single chip. 

What this means is that a multitude of different devices can now exist which share the same capabilities. Lees, rather tellingly, went on to say, “”The key important thing here, though, is the change that’s yet to happen, but it’s about to happen – the bringing together of these devices into a unified ecosystem.” 

Finally, Lees left little room for doubt with this statement: “Windows has always spanned different PC form factors, and with Windows 8 we’re going to take this to a whole new level, including tablets… We are aiming to provide coherence and consistency across the PC, the phone, and the TV, particularly with Xbox.”

Most noteworthy is Lees’ mention that such a homogenized system could be in place even with the release of Windows 8. What that could mean for the Xbox release date, if anything at all, remains to be seen.