What Does Target Platform Mean?
“Target platform” is a generally used term in IT to discuss a platform of focus. A target platform can refer to the platform that
something is being built for, a platform that is desirable for use, or simply a
platform that a particular technology is focusing on. The use of these types of
terms has become more common with multiplatform software and services that
integrate operations across a larger number of platforms.
Techopedia Explains Target Platform
One use of a target platform as a build platform is in the use of Eclipse PDE, where engineers often talk about a target platform as the destination for a particular design. By contrast, in database management, a target platform can be the platform that a database management tool is focusing on at a given time. For example, if the DBMS tool accesses Oracle, Sybase and other databases, engineers may refer to a single target platform while discussing operations.
In other cases, people use the term “target platform” more informally to talk about something that is popular among end users. For example, articles on different video game consoles may refer to a target platform as the console or technology that is most in demand by gamers.