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Is Microsoft About to Reboot Windows Phone with Windows Phone 9

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Microsoft Windows Phone users can expect another large reset of the company’s mobile operating system with Windows Phone 9, according to reports.

The rumors, which all originate from Mobile Review’s Eldar Murtazin, indicate that Microsoft has “charged the [Windows Phone Group] with developing a new single OS for both smartphones and tablets, and nothing is off-limits in terms of changes.”

According to Murtazin, those changes could include an entirely revamped interface to replace the Metro design language that now dominates the operating system’s interface. Allegedly, Microsoft would replace the design but not admit it publicly as it “will not be able to admit a mistake, [Metro] is too actively advertised.”

Verizon-Windows-Phone-Lumia-928

Regardless of the way it looks, Murtazin believes that Microsoft will use Windows Phone 9 as an opportunity to meld its tablet and smartphone software as one solution. Reportedly, the group tasked with researching the possibilities of the next major version of Windows Phone will make their recommendation this fall. Murtazin acknowledges, that neither the operating system nor the new interface that he alleges could be coming, currently exist.

It’s worth noting that Murtazin has been correct about internal Microsoft and Nokia information before. Despite that, the prospect of Microsoft completely throwing out the base of the Windows Phone operating system seems a little far-fetched – especially since it’s unlikely that a third-reset would help Microsoft’s image as being a waffler in the smartphone space.

Microsoft reset all of its smartphone efforts when it introduced the Windows Phone 7 operating system in 2010. During the transition to Windows Phone from Windows Mobile, Microsoft lost a lot of ground in the smartphone space to Google’s Android.

Strictly from a developer perspective, Microsoft technically hard-reset Windows Phone when it introduced Windows Phone 8. While the operating system looks very similar to Windows Phone 7, applications developed for it cannot be used on Windows Phone 7 devices even though applications made for Windows Phone 7 can be ran on Windows Phone 8. Users with Windows Phone 7 devices also can’t upgrade to Windows Phone 8.

If Microsoft did reset Windows Phone again, it would make more sense that the company would do it in the same way it transitioned between Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 8. That way it would be able to keep the large cache of applications and users that it has already amassed.

Murtazin did not offer any further details on how a potential reset would impact users or application developers.

 

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Tinytacohead

    07/15/2013 at 1:16 pm

    Well ditching Metro is a step in the right direction.. I hope they actually improve things this time though. As is, there’s no way in hell I’d touch a Winblows phone, or Winblows8 on any platform!

    • Michael

      07/16/2013 at 5:56 pm

      Notice you are the only one commenting. Useless comment. No need to even read a WP article, let alone comment on it.

      • rUnit

        07/18/2013 at 11:34 am

        No doubt. iTroll.

        This rumor is a bunch of BS rumors. Just reading this article was enough to tell me this guy has absolutely no idea what he is talking about.

  2. Wada Maroon

    07/19/2013 at 12:25 pm

    This article is a plant to sew uncertainty in the eyes of consumers AND developers. MS is not going to toss years of R&D and a clearly better Phone because some people dont like it. Clearly there are other options. The question is Google paying this goober or is it Apple? The benefit to being Microsoft is being able to take an existing developer pool and make your tools compatible with Phone development. Articles like this make think that Microsoft is on to something, and they are going to create big inroads into the enterprise space with phone apps that can integrate with SharePoint, their enterprise web portal . And start pulling kids in with games and integration of XBox One.( Sure they have the creepy camera, but..) The apps will come, the users wil come the games will come.

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