Microsoft Evangelist Backs Off on Windows Phone 8 Updates Statement

Nuno Silva, Microsoft evangelist, said a few days ago that all Windows Phone 7 devices were meant to be upgraded to the Windows Phone 8 platform.

His statement, which emerged in a video on Portuguese forum Zwame, fueled controversy on Microsoft’s actual plans for the upcoming platform.

Apparently, Nuno Silva got carried away and wrongfully claimed that the Redmond-based software giant was determined to deliver the upcoming platform release to all existing devices.

The official word is that nothing has been announced on the matter, and that only Windows Phone 7 applications are known to offer compatibility with the upcoming Windows Phone 8 Apollo OS.

In a recent post on MSDN, Silva notes that he was confused and that he mistakenly stated that all devices would be compatible with Windows Phone 8.

“I recently participated in an interview with the Portuguese website Zwame, where I made some comments on the future of Windows Phone that created confusion. Rumors are swirling, so I feel the need to clarify my statements,” he says.

“The point I was attempting to make was simply that existing Windows Phone applications will run on the next version of Windows Phone. This is the same guidance that Microsoft shared late last year.

“I mistakenly confused app compatibility with phone updateability, which caused the rumors we saw yesterday. I did not intend to give the impression I was offering new guidance on any products under development or their upgradeability.”

Microsoft already announced developers that their Windows Phone 7 applications would work on the upcoming platform release, although it did not offer further details on the OS itself.

The software giant is keeping mum on the upcoming platform version, which has been long rumored to arrive as the lighter version of Windows 8, optimized for use on smartphones.

“While we have given Windows Phone developers this preliminary guidance on app compatibility to help them with long term project planning, Microsoft does not have any further news to share on future products at this time,” Silva concludes.