The company will launch WP8 devices, but it won’t be the first to do so

Aug 7, 2012 10:21 GMT  ·  By

Mobile phone carrier Sprint does not plan the launch of a Windows Phone 8 device this fall, when the first such smartphones will arrive on shelves.

The operator will add a Windows Phone 8 handset to its offering at some point in the future, but it won’t make the move when the first such devices are made official.

Apparently, the carrier still does not trust the platform as being capable of impressing users, and the experience it has had with HTC Arrive, its last Windows Phone, is not helping either.

Sprint VP David Owens said on Monday that this was one of the most returned handsets at Sprint, a recent article on AllThingsD notes.

Apparently, the company will continue to focus on Android, waiting for new devices coming from Motorola, as well as on Apple’s iPhone, which is expected to become its big hit.

In fact, it appears that the wireless carrier is already getting ready for the launch of the new iPhone, which is expected to take place next month.

For that, it made a move never seen before: it cut the price for the currently available iPhone model on its network, the iPhone 4S.

At the moment, Sprint users interested in the 16GB iPhone 4S can grab it for only $149.99 with the signing of a two-year contract agreement.

Those who want to go for higher capacities will have to pay $249.99 for the 32GB model, or $349.99 for the 64GB flavor of the device.

Apparently, this is a permanent price drop, suggesting that Sprint is indeed focused on the launch of the new iPhone, and that it might push other platforms aside because of that.

However, a Windows Phone 8 model will arrive on shelves at Sprint at some point in the future, most probably next year.

Research In Motion’s BlackBerry operating system will also be part of Sprint’s plans for 2012 and 2013, it seems. In fact, Sprint’s Farid Adib said that RIM still has a lot to offer, though it remains to be seen whether the company will indeed find the winning formula.