The software was released only for pre-production units now

Dec 18, 2012 11:51 GMT  ·  By

Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia has officially confirmed that its users would be able to download and install the Windows Phone 7.8 software update on their devices starting with early 2013.

The update, which has already emerged on NaviFirm, and which can be installed on specific variants of Windows Phone 7.5 Lumia devices, has already started to be delivered to some users, but it seems that only those with pre-production units are receiving it.

Some people have already reported that the update was available for their Lumia 800 devices, which led everyone to believe that Nokia had already started the global roll-out of this software.

However, it seems that the owners of the commercial flavor of Lumia 900, Lumia 800, Lumia 710 and Lumia 610 will have to wait a bit longer before the software reaches them as well.

Nokia spokeswoman Stella Jansen reportedly confirmed this state of facts to tweakers.net, adding that the company felt it should offer a clarification on the matter so that users won’t be disappointed.

Furthermore, WP7.nl confirms the news, adding that those who have already received the update were selected based on their smartphones’ IMEI numbers.

Unfortunately, although we now officially know that the Windows Phone 7.8 update will be sent to devices in early 2013, we still don’t have a specific release date for it.

The OS upgrade is meant for Windows Phone 7.5 devices, though some of the latest rumors suggested that not all handsets would receive it.

It brings along the start screen from Windows Phone 8, enabling users to resize tiles as they consider it fit, while also providing them with the possibility to set Bing pictures as the background for their lockscreens.

Various other enhancements will also be included in the update, such as the support for Lens applications in Windows Phone 8, along with bug fixes and performance improvements. Stay tuned to learn more on the matter.