Microsoft moves closer to unifying Windows and Windows Phone

Microsoft has long planned on one store to bind them, and that is now getting closer.

Microsoft’s cross-platform strategy is no secret. Much of the same code found in Windows 8.1 is also in Windows Phone 8, including the kernel. So it stands to reason that, in time, apps should be easily portable between platforms, especially WP8 and Windows RT.

Well, Microsoft is continuing that effort. The company just announced it is creating a unified developer registration experience for the two platforms. The site has nothing to do with the developer end; it handles the business side of things. The idea is to make it easier for developers who want to create apps for both Windows and Windows Phone by giving them one point of registration instead of two.

Under the new registration program, Windows Phone developers will have access to the Windows Dev Center, which handles PC and tablet sales, for no additional cost. The same works both ways, as Windows developers now have access to the Windows Phone Dev Center for no additional cost. In both cases, the developer uses the same Microsoft Account to log in on either site and has access to both Centers.

So, existing developers can now submit apps to both stores at no additional cost under one Microsoft account while new developers can register under just one account. The registration fee is a very modest $19 for an individual developer and $99 for a company account. Developers already registered for both stores will receive a code via email this month for a free one-year renewal when their existing registration is up for renewal.

The process of submitting apps will remain slightly different due to the differences in platforms, but Microsoft aims to have a single submission process as well. And of course, there is the effort to make one developer platform, so apps can be generated across the board from a single code base. But, one thing at a time.

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