When we started hearing reports in the last week that Microsoft planned to kill the Windows Phone and Windows RT brands and instead call everything “Windows,” we were very skeptical that Microsoft would really make such a move. After all, if someone bought a “Windows” tablet, they might easily get confused about it whether runs the full desktop-centric version of Windows or the mobile-centric version. However, we now have two new reports confirming that Microsoft really is planning to put the “Windows Phone” brand out to pasture and just refer to every single software platform it puts out as “Windows.”
FROM EARLIER: Good riddance to Windows 8: Microsoft will unveil Windows 9 next month
GeeksOnGadgets has obtained a leaked internal Microsoft document outlining the company’s plan to kill the Windows Phone brand by next year and refer to everything as “Windows” going forward. The leaked document also says Microsoft will be killing off the Nokia brand at around the same time and will simply refer to all new smartphones as Microsoft phones.
The Verge confirms GeeksOnGadgets’ report and notes that marketing for the Windows-phones-formerly-known-as-Windows-Phones has already started.
“Microsoft’s latest commercials for the Lumia 930 don’t even mention Windows Phone at all,” The Verge writes. “In fact, Microsoft refers to Windows Phone simply as Windows. HTC’s new One M8 for Windows also drops the Windows Phone name in favor of just Windows.”
