14 DAY TRIAL // The next major Windows Phone release, codenamed Apollo and expected to arrive on shelves in fall as Windows Phone 8, was long rumored to feature a Windows NT kernel.
In fact, the mobile platform was rumored to have been built on the same kernel as the Windows 8 OS for desktops and tablets.
Microsoft hasn’t offered an official confirmation on the matter, but more details on this have emerged, and they seem to confirm the initial suppositions.
A recent job listing on Microsoft’s website shows that the Redmond-based company is looking for a new Software Engineer for the Windows Phone team, and that the candidate should have “experience with Win32, WinNT.”
Apparently, Microsoft is confident in the success of its mobile OS, and plans on making sure that the platform will take the lead on the market.
“Come join the Windows Phone team to define and build experiences that will propel Microsoft to the top of the most competitive market in years! Our phone is winning accolades from delighted reviewers and customers, and we are busy building on that momentum,” the job post reads.
“The OS Platform group’s mission is to deliver a robust, performant and extensible OS for the Windows Phone. This team delivers key platform components, works closely with teams across the phone organization to build seamless user experiences and partners with our hardware providers.”
Windows Phone 8 is rumored to be on its way to the market sometime this fall, about the same time when Windows 8 will make its official debut.
Since Microsoft designed Windows 8 with a wide range of optimizations for tablet PC’s, the platform was believed to be tightly related to the Windows Phone OS, aimed mainly at smartphones.
Many of the features initially available for Windows Phone alone have been transferred to Windows 8 too, including the Metro UI and the availability of an official app store, which further confirms that Microsoft is bringing the two closer to one another, though it’s not yet clear to what extent.