Existing Windows Phone 7 devices will get updated to Windows Phone 7.8, not Windows 8
by Brian Klug on June 20, 2012 2:00 PM ESTLooks like some of the earlier rumors about the upgrade path for existing WP7 devices turned out to be true. Microsoft just now announced that existing WP7 devices will not get updated to WP8, instead they'll get WP7.8 and a partial update feature set, including the new home screen with customizable live tiles.
We're still waiting to get more details about what other features make it over. Applications made for WP7 and WP8 will continue to work on WP7.8, but users wanting all the rest of the WP8 features will have to get that update in the form of new hardware. Update: Microsoft has clarified, and appliations built for WP8 will not run on WP7.5/7.8 (native C/C++ appliations), we're asking for more details.
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sigmatau - Thursday, June 21, 2012 - link
If I am a troll then you are a fool.The buttons on the GS2 are horrible. They barely move. If you have a case on the phone they barely work.
The GS2 is terrible compared to HTC phones. Maybe it's the Touchwiz. The phone will play a game great but can't do simple functions smoothly. I don't want a fisher price toy, I want a phone that can get me through work and be an ease to use.
But hey, you are such a fool you can't take your head out your ass.
The GS2 with so much horsepower is half as smooth as my Nokia Lumia. How is that possible? I just love how you have to wait up to a year for updates on a flagship phone and people are on here complaining about not getting every feature in windows phone 8?
You guys are a hoot!
sigmatau - Thursday, June 21, 2012 - link
You mean like Apples fucking horrible iOS? Let's see, the 3g previous models cant get any updates. The 3GS that every one talks about getting updates has been a junk phone since iOS 4. I am sure iOS6 with more features will be magicaly smoother somehow!!!! The iphone 4 doesn't have many of the features that made the 4s so much better to the fanboys.So basicaly you are stuck with one stupid piece of shit 4s that can get the full update. I wonder what features will be missing on the 4s when iOS6 with the iphone 5 arrives.
Your post is utter nonsense.
rocketbuddha - Wednesday, June 20, 2012 - link
Serves E(F)lop well. No Windows 8 update to the current most powerful, strongest selling Windows phone. Basically Lumia 900 is a dead duck. Already DT (parent company of TMo released and sheepishly walked back. But cat is out of the bag now.)http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/20/3098768/lumia-90...
Expect Nokia to release profit warning again.
ZmaxDP - Thursday, June 21, 2012 - link
I hope that you and Anand will use your influence in the community to tell Microsoft that they need to do something to reward their early adopters. I purchased a Lumia 900 as soon as it came out, and now I will basically have to purchase a windows phone 8 device out of contract (at full price) if i want to work with the professional applications that are in development for windows phone 8. I've talked to the software companies we interact with (Autodesk for instance) and most of them are writing WP8 and W8 apps. But, my two month old phone will never get to run them. It is what it is, but I sure hope Microsoft works with the carriers to lessen the burden on us early adopters so that a WP8 device isn't 800 bucks out of pocket.Wonga - Monday, June 25, 2012 - link
I don't mean to sound patronising, but you should always buy a piece of hardware for what it is advertised as doing today, not what it might be able to do tomorrow.My phone is only 18 months old and will never get an upgrade beyond Android 2.2, but that won't stop me from buying HTC again. It still does everything it did when I bought it.
steven75 - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - link
"I don't mean to sound patronising, but you should always buy a piece of hardware for what it is advertised as doing today, not what it might be able to do tomorrow."Or you could go with a vendor that has a proven track record of updating devices for 2+ years like Apple.
Microsoft and Google aren't playing in a void where Apple doesn't exist.
rabidpeach - Tuesday, February 5, 2013 - link
I've read the comment thread and many are yelping "fragmentation" while the other side says "it's still a good phone, you liked it when you bought it"While I agree, no one mentions that there will not be a single developer writing backwards-compatible code for windows phone 8 and 7. Whilst you may be able to write 7 apps that run on 8, you will not be able to write a smooth 8 app that uses all those fancy new apis (that will run on all the pro and rt tablets) and hope it goes back to 7.
As far as android fragmentation goes, it seems to me that whilst many are stuck on v2.2, it can still run many apps in the app store. Many of these apps still get updated.
The windows phone 7 store is now in stasis. We (early adopters) will never have any cool new apps that appear for android/iphone. We will never get any old apps that had yet to be ported. We're stuck. Android 2.2 keeps chugging on...