No dual-core for Windows Phone until late-2012
Microsoft's roadmap for its Windows Phone platform does not include dual-core processors or 720 pixels-display screens until late-2012, a Microsoft-focused whistle-blowing Web site has revealed.
According to an Oct. 21 blog post on the MS Nerd site, a "leaked roadmap" showed that the software giant would not be releasing "Apollo"--codename for its Windows Phone 8 operating system (OS)--or its associated hardware until late-2012.
The hardware would include Chassis 3, which makes room for dual-core processors and improved high-definition (HD) screens, noted a separate report by tech news site EE Times.
The current version of Windows Phone 7.5--also dubbed Mango--uses Chassis 1.5 with a recently added front-facing camera, while the Tango update, due out in early-2012, will sport a Chassis 2-specification with added 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) support, both reports stated.
However, by the time Chassis 3 is introduced on Windows Phone devices, the hardware features on these models will be a full year behind other offerings which will be introduced emerging in the market over the next few months, EE Times pointed out.
In terms of dual-core smartphones, phonemakers such as LG Electronics and Motorola Mobility have already released devices with such capabilities, and Samsung's Galaxy S II HD already sports the 1280x720 resolution display screen which will only be supported by Windows Phone 8, the report noted.
"Windows Phone SKUs (stock-keeping units) are restricted heavily by Microsoft's chassis guidelines, and implemented by the company to avoid the type of fragmentation seen among Android devices," EE Times stated. "While a more uniform chassis ensures Microsoft can push out OS updates quicker to devices, it also has the unfortunate downside of lagging behind its competitors in terms of hardware specifications."
Quizzed for confirmation on the authenticity of the leaked roadmap, a Redmond spokesperson said: "We aren't sharing details around future versions of Windows Phone."
Andy Lees, president of Microsoft's Windows Phone division, did say in a report earlier this month that dual-core processors and support for LTE networks "are coming". He noted in an earlier report that the current crop of Windows Phones should hold up well even against dual-core Android models.
"They're all single core, but I suspect that they will be faster in usage than any other dual-core phone that you put against it, and that's the point," Lees said.
That said, Microsoft was not opposed to dual-core chips but was waiting until the software was more ready to take advantage of multiple cores architectures, the executive added.
Lees also rejected the idea that the lack of both features indicated Microsoft would not be at the cutting edge of the dynamic mobile market.