Yep it does make quite a bit of sense to unify their embedded platforms along the lines of the one operating system. They have already made steps in this direction by using live tiles first with the NXE and then Windows Phone 7. I would expect them to take further advances with Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 and I would expect that they would use these same advances on the Xbox Next as well.

and that's suppose to be a news???? some journalist.... are really geniuses.... took them 15 years to realize what MS is trying to do.....
and 2015 for windows 8 the guy must have been smoking crack..... windows 8 will be out in less than 18 months guaranteed... or at least looking out what's going on on the interweb.....

MS issue right now and for the past 15 years, has been to stay on top of the OS software industry.... with the PC world splitting in many direction (tablet, smartphones, console for games, TV box for media etc etc) they had to move before hardware companies take over the spot and competition scam enough peeps to get there product and make it a standard.... (apple).... unifying there standard to stay dominent is the only way to go to survive.....