14 DAY TRIAL // Redmond-based technology firm Microsoft officially confirmed that support for Windows Phone 8 would end next year in July, without providing too much information on what’s going to happen next.
But just like Liam Tung of ZDNet notes, Windows Phone 8 might be retired just in time for the next version of the mobile operating system, reportedly called Windows Phone 9 and expected to be released in late 2014.
Windows Phone 9 is projected to be released together with the next major Windows iteration for desktop computers and tablets which, according to sources familiar with the matter, is likely to be baptized Windows 9.
Previous reports have indicated that Windows 9 is in the works right now, so the first beta could arrive as soon as January 2014. If everything goes according to the plan, Windows 9 might see the public launch in November 2014.
Microsoft doesn’t say a thing about Windows 9, but it has confirmed via several job openings that Windows 9 is a work in progress.
The company is looking for engineers to work on the upcoming operating system, which is very likely to include a mobile phone version as well. Microsoft is seeking a “software test engineer in the Windows Phone Test Services Team currently testing Windows 9 OS on Nokia, HTC and Qualcomm devices,” so Windows Phone 9 is indeed expected to be part of the Windows 9 project.
In the meantime, Microsoft is also working on Windows Blue, the first major upgrade for Windows 8, also expected to spawn a mobile operating system upgrade called Windows Phone Blue. This time, the release is projected to take place this summer, with a public beta due to see daylight in June.
Microsoft is most likely using all these job openings and hints to let us know that Windows 9 is in the works, so in case this is indeed the company’s purpose, then we guess it’s mission accomplished for the Redmond-based giant.