Among the myriad of announcements Microsoft made at its Build 2014 keynote is one small but highly important detail. With the Windows Phone 8.1 operating system moving to a WinRT layer, all the Microsoft platforms now run on the same runtime, which includes all the devices like a PC, a tablet, a phone, and yes, even the Xbox One. Powered by a common runtime, developers will be able to target all these devices with a shared set of code that will work across all the platforms, like for example notifications, in-app security and so forth. This also means that users can buy an app from one store and use it on another, although the interface will change according to the form factor.
Making it the first time for a single runtime to have a target of this breadth, Microsoft is also updating its Visual Studio development tool to support this, with easier targeting and deployment on all of its platforms. Basically, an app developer will be able to share a big chunk of code like business logic, for Windows, Windows Phone and Xbox, with device specific interface and code separately adapted for the respective platforms. This enables developers to target a wider audience with common code and even tailor different experiences for the same app on different screens. For example, the Windows app could have more information density than the Windows Phone or the Xbox app. But these are not the only platforms a developer could target, because Windows is coming to wearable devices too, which will be based on the same runtime.
One of the most important demos showing off the universal apps capability was the new touch Office Suite for Windows and Windows Phone, which basically run off the same code. While the user interface was pre-alpha code, it still showed off powerful performance and a touch-first interface, on the lines of what they had shown with the Office for iPad app. Connected by the cloud, both the platforms could display the same app with the same presentation(the demo was powerpoint) and effects, indicating that the code is largely the same. Another app that was showed off was “Khan Academy” which works across Windows, Windows Phone as well as the Xbox One, with Kinect-specific gestures for the latter. The common core, an update store and shared code between platforms finally brings all the Microsoft platforms closer, and it will get even tighter once Microsoft removes the small niggles associated with the current form.