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Tip: Rep says that Windows Phone 8 is for current gen phones

May 23, 2012 12:30 pm by Michael Gillett | 13 comments

This post was originally posted on My Microsoft Life.

Today I was tipped off to “something big” by a well known source:

Waggener Edstrom person says MSFT has Windows 8 (for x86), Windows RT (for next-gen ARM), & Windows Phone 8 (for current-gen phones).

Most of the information in that quote is already known but the most interesting part of it is that Windows Phone 8 is for current generation phones. The reason why this is interesting is that a Waggener Edstrom rep (Microsoft’s PR company) has said this, it’s not something that they are likely to get wrong. The issue of whether Microsoft is going to offer Windows Phone 8 for current devices has been rumoured back and forth for the past few months with well respected members of the community apparently being tipped off with conflicting information.

I was also provided with some additional information that states that there will be more “leaks” corroborating this information next week with an official announcement in a few weeks time. Hopefully then we wont have long to wait to see if this is just another Windows Phone 8 rumour or if this is actually something of substance; it will also be nice for Microsoft to state either way if Windows Phone 8 will work on current hardware or not.

One final piece of information I was given is that there are currently organisational changes going on within Xbox, however it is unlikely that much will be heard about this until after “the holidays”.

This entry was posted in Featured, Mobile and tagged Apollo, Windows Phone, Windows Phone 7, Windows Phone 8, Xbox. Bookmark the permalink.

http://twitter.com/dustbeta Dustin Schultz

I certainly hope this is true. I think it would be a disaster if they didn’t allow upgrades, at least for the 2nd round of phones they released like Focus S and Lumia 900.
- hojsn
  
  Would there be a reason to deploy WP8 to “2nd gen” WP7 mobiles but not to “1st gen”? Despite added front cameras I wouldn’t know of any technical differences between 1st and 2nd gen phones…!?
  - http://twitter.com/ama_neden ama neden
    
    GPU’s and CPU clocks are diffirent, also cpu’s have diffirences.
http://www.OfInteresttoMe.com/ Matt

So by current Gen does that mean the Lumia 710 & 900?
http://twitter.com/saulw Saul Valencia

Is this a play on words? Will Windows Phone 8 be for current generation phones and something like Windows Phone RT for next generation phones?
http://twitter.com/Bragic Brad Gravesen

This is way out there though, we are going to go off MSNerd because they supposedly heard it from someone at Waggener Edstrom? This is even a worse source than the guy from Portual. At least that guy worked at MS… Microsoft really has to come clean on this question.
Simon Johnny

“be nice for Microsoft to state either way if Windows Phone 8 will work on current hardware or not.”
Yes it would. I have a few friends who’re wanting to try the nokia luma phones out, but due to worry about them being upgradable to WP8 they decided to not even both with the Windows Phone and ordered up an S3…
Microsoft needs to keep its little userbase informed, it was one of the great reasons why people loved them (the phones) and since they removed the carrier update page, things do seem to have gone down bank since.
Hopefully its not a trend that continues once Windows 8 is released and its pushed hard via OEMs and they expect and rely on that momentum to sell Windows Phones.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=861135006 Nicholas Thompson

I bought an expensive 1st-gen Samsung Omnia 7 18 months ago and although the hardware lacks a few features like compass, NFC etc it’s specs are still pretty good so why shouldn’t WP8 work on it? Nokia and the other phone companies always want to sell new models OK but when one is paying the price of a laptop almost for a Smartphone one would hope it is good for updates for 3 years at least.
markjonson

Notice that it says “current-gen,” that would basically mean devices that launched with 7720+. So the major devices like the Lumia 900, Titan II, and Focus S, Flash, and 2 would be covered. But if current-gen just means current gen, then that means the launch devices (October/November 2010) will not be upgraded.
Michael Worthington

Interesting.
- Paolo Kato
  
  mmmhmmm
- Johnny Dahboy
  
  very interesting
  - Michael W
    
    cheers