Will current Windows Phone devices get Apollo or not?

“Will my device get an official update?” It is one the most often asked questions, be it to the networks, to the manufacturers or even to websites like us. People just want the latest and greatest version of the software.

Most recently it has been the turn of Windows Phone. Microsoft have been preparing Windows Phone 8 (Apollo) to come out as the same time as Windows 8 for the PC and for the last few months Microsoft have kept VERY quiet about whether or not existing devices would receive an update.

Well overnight a few things have happened that further complicate matters. Several different sources both saying different things. One saying yes devices will get updates, one saying no devices will not get devices and another saying existing devices will get some sort of update not necessarily Apollo though.

So let’s have a look at the info.

WMPoweruser have a video interview by Zwame, a Portuguese mobile forum, with Microsoft Evangelist Nuno Silva, Nuno rather explicitly makes it clear that all current Windows Phone 7 will receive the Windows Phone 8 upgrade.

The conversation goes as follows:

Q: In terms of devices, who today have one is it expectable that…

A: What Microsoft said/stated and what I’m allowed to tell you is that all actual devices will get upgrade to the next major version of Windows Phone (we´re talking about Apollo)

Q: When you say actual devices. Are all that came out to market?

A: Are all that came out. Since the first generation that were bought. The LGs and SAMSUNGs.. OMNIA 7 which were the first devices with Windows Phone reaching the market.

Then The Verge posted an article refuting this information. Apparently a source close to Microsoft has said that current devices will not have an upgrade path from Mango to Apollo.

 Then shortly after The verge posted their article @eldarmurtazin who is editor in chief at Mobile Review responded to them on Twitter buy saying “they have Apollo style update in pipeline for wp7 (ui, some apps, tweaks). But it isn’t Apollo. People will like it I think”. Eldar has made various claims in the past about Samsung and Nokia. Sometimes true and sometimes slightly off. So we shall see about this one. 

All we need now is for Microsoft to come out and say something official. I am guessing that the silence about upgrades is because the news is not good news. If upgrades to Apollo were possible Microsoft would surely be shouting it from the rooftops. So would Nokia as well, especially as this sort of negative press for Windows Phone may hamper sales of the recently released Lumia 900.

 Sources – WMPoweruser – The Verge – Eldarmurtazin