Microsoft CEO announced for the first time what has been rumored for a long time

In Microsoft Corp.’s (MSFT) Q4 FY2014 earnings call, new CEO Satya Nadella offered up the most explicit confirmation yet, that Windows Phone, Windows, and Windows RT will be merging into a single cross-platform OS, with unified app support, styles, and core apps/services, with the release of next year’s Windows 9.

In the call he stated:

Our mobile and cloud opportunity views informs our decisions on what to build and where to invest. More specifically, we use the following three principles to guide our investments. First, focus investments on the core, productivity experiences and platform investments will prioritize across engineering, sales, marketing as well as M&A.

Second, consolidate overlapping efforts. This means one operating system that covers all screen sizes and consolidated dual use productivity services that cross life and work.

In the year ahead, we are investing in ways that will ensure our device OS and first party hardware aligned to our core. We will streamline the next version of Windows from three operating systems into one single converged operating system for screens of all sizes.

We will unify our stores, commerce and developer platforms to drive a more coherent user experience and a broader developer opportunity. We look forward to sharing more about our next major wave of Windows enhancements in the coming months.

Full Story: DailyTech – Windows 9 Will Merge Windows, Windows Phone, Windows RT in 2015.