Microsoft: Work on Windows Phone 8 began before Windows Phone 7

Natasha Lomas from C|Net UK recently had a chance to sit down and talk to Greg Sullivan, Microsoft’s Senior Product Manager for Windows Phone. During their conversation he dropped a nugget of knowledge that can not be ignored. He admitted that work on Windows Phone 8 started before Windows Phone 7 devices even hit the market in October 2010. In fact, he goes so far as to say Microsoft’s desire to make a mobile operating system based on the full blown Windows kernel “was always the plan”.

To those of you who thought that Nokia decided to release Windows Phone 7.5 devices thinking that they’d get upgraded to Windows Phone 8, we’re sorry to say this, but it looks like Nokia knew what they were getting themselves into all along. Instead of selling Symbian and Maemo/MeeGo devices for another 12 months while Microsoft was toiling away on Windows Phone 8, Nokia instead decided to shoot themselves in the foot. Twice.

First they announced that Symbian would be killed; this was back in February 2011. That bone headed premature obituary made potential Nokia customers delay their purchase until a Nokia handset running Windows Phone hit the market. That happened nine months later, in November, with the Lumia 800 in the UK. Second, Microsoft dropped a bombshell when they announced Windows Phone 8 last month. If you were someone who was patient enough to wait for the Nokia Lumia, then bad news. You aren’t going to get updated to the latest version of the OS. Considering that the Lumia 900 went on sale in the United States in April, that means a phone that’s less than three months old has effectively been put on life support.

Like we said earlier, we don’t know why Nokia didn’t do the adult thing and just wait. They could have promoted the N9 and all their respective Symbian devices for another year and then they could have surprised us all this summer with a formal announcement that they’re going with Windows Phone.

Instead, they decided to break our hearts. Not once, but two times.

About The Author

Stefan Constantinescu

Stefan Constantinescu (@WhatTheBit on Twitter) has loved technology since as far back as he can remember. It started with computers, but in the past few years his passion has turned to mobile devices. As a mobile phone enthusiast who lives and breathes devices that connect to the internet, he knows he is not alone with this radical fascination of all things wireless. He is strongly opinionated and enjoys a good debate so leave comments in his posts and he’ll get back to you! Stefan began blogging as a hobby in the fall of 2006 and joined IntoMobile in the summer of 2007. Later he got a job at Nokia in March 2008, but as of June 2009 he has rejoined the IntoMobile team. He is currently based out of Helsinki, Finland.

http://profile.yahoo.com/7HUTY7VHYFP2KKCFX7VB3BWY6Y Shonko

“made potential Nokia customers delay their purchase”

I think the evidence shows that instead of waiting, they bought a Galaxy S2 instead.
- Moo
  
  BS. They are probably holding on till W8 phone comes out.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_QH25RVNTUIAU7HT6DQ7CONEO2U havasu46

Nokia didn’t shoot themselves in the foot. The presnt Lumia Windows Phones are the best WP devices on the market. The Lumia 900 is one of the best smart phones on the market bar none. Nokia has shown that the still have the hardware innovation and it will definitely start to shine when Microsoft’s WP8 meets Nokia’s next round of devices. Look at all the press and reviews that both Microsoft and Nokia WP have received in the lat 12 months. Even some of the negative press still generates interest in the ecosystem that is going to be helpful down the road.
- APai
  
  ”The Lumia 900 is one of the best smart phones on the market bar none”
  Nope, it’s not. besides, that sentence of yours doesn’t make sense.
  - Anonymous
    
    It’s his opinion, no need to be a pr*ck about it..
    - APai
      
      why are YOU pricked ?
      - Anonymous
        
        Because, you whiny little sh*t, I have a Nokia, do I feel shafted because I won’t be getting WP8? No, I’ll just continue to use it until I want to move to WP8.
        
        And I’m not the only one who thinks the Lumia is the best smartphone on the market, specs AREN’T everything.
        
        And your first point is BS, there was no lie, only rumour, which wasn’t their doing.
      - APai
        
        ”you whiny little sh*t,”
        likewise.
        
        I have a Nokia phone as well. the whole scene with microsoft shafting nokia is already apparent.
        
        “And I’m not the only one who thinks the Lumia is the best smartphone on the market”
        hmm, sales proves otherwise despite 2 year hype by microsoft, tango came, mango whizzed past us. no sales. microsoft shafted nokia bigtime.
        
        “specs AREN’T everything”
        who said specs aren’t everything ?
        
        absolutely pure 100% lies. they behaved as if wp7 was completely in the upgrade path. withholding the truth works the same way as lying, only its pedantic
      - Blogsworth
        
        They never said it was in the upgrade path d*ck.
      - APai
        
        mr. d*ck
        
        “withholding the truth works the same way as lying, only its PEDANTIC”
  - Blogsworth
    
    Nit Picking APai. Give it a rest
http://profile.yahoo.com/5UTMEWJD3DH3JG4TSRAQLAGUTY Salman S

This was no surprise, except to some bloggers, i suppose. Ever since Windows 8 has been in development, the unification of the OS o all devices has been the plan. Additionally, there is no real way of doing a hardware upgrade of devices already sold. Software updates can still happen, but hardware updates can only happen to new devices being developed now.
APai

this is how it is done people! nokia/ blackberry take note, how they shafted their current lot of customers ever so nicely. all those “supposed “lies were quite plainly – lies. simple as that!

blackberry and nokia are naive people, they promised people of the fantastic coming new OS way in advance and got eloped (for Nokia) and completely berried (BB) if you pardon my pun
http://www.facebook.com/Herman.van.der.Blom Herman Van Der Blom

Strange that Nokia did not complained about the fact the Lumia’s are not
updated to Windows 8? What do they know we don’t know? Nokia is working
with Microsoft to Integrate PureView technology in the Windows Phone 8
Kernel. May be that’s the real “hidden” reason. If you put Nokia’s
high-tech camera software in the Kernel of Windows Phone 8 then it could
be difficult to maintain a shared CodeBase between Windows 7 and 8 then
its better to go for an highly Camera Optimized Windows 8 OS. Video
recording/playback in HD puts a heavy load on CPU.

The
CPU-Cores are NOT optimized for multitasking in Android. The CPU-Cores
(64Max) wil be highly optimized for multitasking in Windows 8. Microsoft
has the knowledge (because of expertise from Intel). But where do you
need those Cores for anyway? For a bigger resolution screen? That would
be not to difficult. What’s VERY difficult is to build highly
performance camera software. Nokia has that technology, brought it in to
Microsoft, they implemented it in the Kernel. So watch out for the
Nokia Windows 8 phones.