Slide shown by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer this morning.

Microsoft’s default Windows 8 interface, unveiled last month, was clearly modeled in part after the Xbox Live and Windows Phone design — aiming to give the company more consistency across its various devices and software platforms. But Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer drove home the point when he showed this slide this morning during the company’s Worldwide Partner Conference, talking about the company’s larger goals.

“We’re moving in a great direction in terms of a common, coherent design language and user interface across phone, slate, PC and TV,” Ballmer said, via webcast.

Even though we’d seen each of those modular interfaces before, hewing to the company’s new “Metro” design aesthetic, it was striking to see them all laid out like that, making it clear that they’re pieces of a larger package.

As we’ve noted in the past, the big question is how longtime Windows users will react to such a dramatic change in the default experience, even with the option to run the traditional Windows desktop. As it rolls out the new operating system next year, Microsoft will find out if one size, or at least one interface, can actually fit all in the modern tech industry.

At the very least, it’s looking pretty … and consistent.

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