14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Phone 8.1, the latest major flavor of Microsoft’s mobile operating system, hasn’t started to arrive on devices just yet, but Microsoft is already showcasing handsets running under it in its stores.
Users stepping into Microsoft Stores will see that handsets running under Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview are put on display, and that they can also take them for a spin.
Reddit user Xodium has already found such devices in a Microsoft Store, yet it’s uncertain whether all of them will have demo Windows Phone 8.1 devices available.
Those users who get the chance to find such smartphones will be able to have a closer look at the features and capabilities that the upcoming platform iteration has been unveiled with.
These would include Cortana, the personal digital assistant, a new Start Screen background, transparent Live Tiles, the brand-new Action Center, and the like.
As WMPoweruser notes, Microsoft has always tried to increase awareness on its Windows Phone platform.
Moreover, following the purchase of Nokia’s Devices & Services division, things should prove easier for the Redmond-based giant, as it will get to showcase both the software and the hardware on which it runs.
Up until now, mobile phone makers such as Nokia were the ones focused on showcasing their hardware, with Microsoft mainly trying to push Windows Phone’s features to the front, but things should change now.
Moving forth, the company is expected to show a more unified approach to the marketing of Windows Phone and smartphones.
As mentioned above, the first Windows Phone 8.1 devices to be showcased in Microsoft Stores are running under the Developer Preview flavor of the platform, but it should not be too long before phones running the final OS release emerge there.
One of these phones landed on the market last week, namely the Nokia Lumia 630, with more smartphones running under the new platform iteration out of the box set to arrive soon.
Moreover, Microsoft is expected to start pushing the Windows Phone 8.1 update to existing devices starting June, which means that the Developer Preview platform currently loaded on said demo phones will be replaced with the stable release sooner rather than later.
However, Microsoft has done little to promote the Windows Phone 8.1 OS as of now, so it still remains to be seen when exactly the company will power up its marketing machine to the full. Hopefully, more on the matter will emerge soon, so stay tuned to learn more on the matter.