Myth Busting Part 1: Yahoo! News says Mango phones won't get Windows Phone 8 Apollo

By Daniel Rubino
last updated

We're getting a flood of emails from users noting that on Yahoo! News, specifically the "Upgrade your life" segment, Becky Worley is stating that current Windows Phones with Mango won't be able to get Windows Phone 8 "Apollo".

So did Yahoo! News just spill the beans on Microsoft's plans?

Not quite. For one, very few if anyone in the media knows what Microsoft has planned for current phone. More on that later. So the notion that someone from Yahoo! got the scoop is a bit funny.

Second, pay attention to her wording in the video segment: "...and Mango phones won't be able to upgrade to Apollo's new features"

Well, technically that is true. Windows Phone 8 is confirmed as supporting two new high resolution displays--768x1280 and 720x1280--in addition to the current 480x800 (Microsoft recently dropped support for 480x640--you heard it hear first). In addition, things like multi-core and NFC support will also be included. All of those features are new and no current Windows Phones will support them, obviously.

So technically what Yahoo! is saying is accurate and we're confident that is what they meant too. Is that a reason to hold off on a purchase? For some, perhaps. But it doesn't mean that current phones won't get Apollo. For that, we're at the mercy of Microsoft and the OEMs for a decision and we still don't know their plans there (scout's honor).

And regarding that "late summer" release, we're still hearing that Apollo will be finalized by late summer but devices won't be ready till the fall. Microsoft for the last two years has had launches and refreshes in October/November, so that's a safe bet as to when you can actually have a Windows Phone 8 device in your hands.

Source: Yahoo! News; Thanks for everyone who sent this in

Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central, head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been here covering Microsoft since 2007 when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, Microsoft Surface, laptops, next-gen computing, and for some reason, watches. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics and ran the projectors at movie theaters, which has done absolutely nothing for his career.

71 Comments
  • Yea I will wait til Balmer outs facts
  • Agreed.
    I mean its fun to read this speculation from the "giants" in the industry but they only have to be incorrect once as far as I'm concerned, and everything they have to say from that point on is scrutinized. And they all have been wrong.
  • ok daniel, so what's up up here.. have you seen wp8 first hand!? in the past few days i've noticed language on the site shift sharply from speaking in uncertainties and of speculation, to strong conviction and facts; as if you know all the details for sure. i hope i'm right on this as i like all of what i'm hearing. assuming if you have gotten a first-hand look, and haven't directly said so, then it probably came via MSFT themselves and you gotta wait till next week to spill all the details..?
  • Yeah, gotta wait till then but that said, these WP7 rumors are great because it's free publicity. All the hype around the OS will improve the chances of it being a success.
    Yes, that's what I tell myself :D
  • When it comes to multicore is quad core supported? (Not that it's even really needed but it would be cool though) I'd also like some really high end chipsets for intense graphical gaming!!! WP Rules!
  • yes its also quad cores, but i think first wave will be dual cores.
  • yes its also quad cores, but i think first wave will be dual cores.
  • If thats news is true! I will trade my lumia to sony xperia s!
  • Of course it's true. Info on the possibility an Apollo upgrade has a great impact on the sales of the current WP devices. If that info were positive, why on earth would they hold it back? So obviously that info is negative (no Apollo upgrade), and that's why they keep quiet about is as long as possible.
  • You can't say it's true, no one knows for sure.. For all we know, they are working to get all devices upgradeable, but this early on they would be crazy to commit to anything until its certain
  • Most people upgrade phones rather frequently. I did not purchase my current WP because I knew it would receive the Apollo update, nor was any update an influence over my purchase. Why would it be for anyone? Especially when you have no idea if , 2hen, and what will be in the update. I did not purchase prior droid or iphone-pad expecting a huge overhaul on the os. I purchased the WP because I wanted and loved the current os and phone. It is exciting to see changes in the horizon so why would this article make you regret your purchase of an awesome phone. Shoot. Friends with iPhones stand in line every year for the next phone, changes to the os.
  • The yes/no is killing me lol
  • I still can't wrap my head around how MS plans to make WP8 so sophisticated that it can't be used on WP7 level hardware.  It would totally obviate any chance of making low end devices for emerging markets, which, we've been told for quite a while now is a major focus for WP.  It's either going to be efficient enough to run on single core 1.4Ghz devices that can be made at low cost, or they fragment the OS in to two distinct branches, keeping WP7/tango for emerging markets, and WP8/Apollo goes up-market with higher end processors and hardware.
    I hope we'll find out June 20th.
     
  • You have to remember Microsoft is a software company. Im sure they'll make it very efficient to make it work on second hen hardware lol
  • If it came out of Becky Worley's mouth then that's a red flag right there. Seriously I never listen to a thing she says as it always seems to be missing major facts etc
  • I have a feeling that Apollo will be available for the higher second Gen handsets (Titan, Titan 2, Lumia 800 & 900, Samsung Focus 2). Or at least I'm REALLY hoping so. If not, oh well, will have to get a new Windows Phone device.
  • I don't see Microsoft completely leaving out current Mango out phones with the Apollo update. They can't afford to.
  • Except it's not up to MS, we're at the mercy of the carriers due to the major back-flip when WP7 launched. Carrier updates is the single biggest gripe I hear about Android - I was so relieved to hear WP wasn't going to be like that... And then MS dropped the ball >_
  • Not entirely.  Carriers are allowed to forego minor updates, but when a major one comes along it becomes cumulative and everything that has been missed gets done all at once.
  • I've heard that is no longer true either :(
  • That's what I was thinking here as well. They can't afford to be dropping what they already own. Just 2% market share. Too much of a risk. I just got into the Lumia 900 on launch day for two years. I'm a Microsoft fan, so hopefully, they don't drop the ball on me and the rest of us. But I keep my faith with them knowing they'll do the right decision.
  • Fragmentation has began
  • No, it has not. Quite the opposite. In WP8, the OS will auto-scale any app automatically but devs should code their graphics for the highest resolution to look the best. End of story. As to NFC and multi-cores, the OS and hardware need to grow. That's inevitable and not to be lamented.
  • I think he was more speaking about the fact that WP8's RT kernel doesn't even support the current hardware chipsets.
  • Then you and him need to learn what the fragmentation is. Different OS features depending on the level of hardware is not fragmentation - AND it is something that every PC, tablet, and phone did forever.
  • It IS fragmentation when new apps that use native code won't be able to run on WP7 devices.
  • ur forgetting the fact that microsoft has specifically came out and said that all apps will work on both versions
     
    lets not forget, MS apps and games use frameworks -> .Net and XNA (for games) what that basically means is that the same code can work anywhere as long as it supports the framework, so what you say as fragmentation won't happen here, it may in a few years due to hardware spec, but it is not going to happen in the near term
  • Here
  • There's a lot of things coming out of Becky's mouth but truth ain't one of them.
  • a-oooohhhh
  • I wonder if at&t will keep their store looking like a big wall lumia 900 r will they take it all down for the next Nokia phone witch I think it's common sense to believe that at&t will get first dibs on the 41mp lumia wp8 phone
  • I don't think we'll see the 41MP PureView anytime soon, a scaled down version like the N8 (thinner of course as well) possibly sooner, MAYBE at release.
  • German WiWo already ran that story over a week ago and got sources within MS and Nokia telling them that indeed WP8 won't run on current devices. Current devices will get an update to WP7 aka WP7.6 which will include some of the WP8 features though.
  • Those mangos look like oranges...
  • Better oranges than lemons.
  • Better lemons than apple/s
  • I get it now, oranges are in the photo for this story. :-)
  • This just confirms other rumors said recently. Current handsets will just get features that the devices can handle, while the full update will be for next-gen phones this fall. I also heard Microsoft will include the WinRT framework for current devices so that they are compatible with WP8 apps.
  • Exactly
  • As long as this is true, I'm fine with it. If my Lumia won't support WP8 apps, I'm outta here...
  • Microsoft is killing windows phone sales holding these info and leting so much rumors rules.
  • Yep! But also why by a phone now with the uncertainty of WP8, when in 6 months you can get much more powerful phones - hopefully with upgradeable storage! I see very little advantage to upgrade my HD7 to any current models.
  • How about apple now killing sales because of their puny update.
  • Hulk crush puny update!
  • I bet she and many other reporters are correct, she is not the first to say that current phone won't be upgradeable to Window Phone 8.
    Windows Phone 8 is based on NT/200/RT code/OS and then WP Metro on top of that.
    Windows Phone 7/7.5 is based on Windows CE (can't remember the new name they gave it) and has many limitations.
    I wouldn't be surprised to see a version of Windows Phone 7.x which is still based on CE and has a UI and API refresh that brings some of Windows Phone 8, look, feel and maybe even features like better Skype, LinkedIn integration and more - but not to expect too much more.
    *for what it's worth, that's my 2 cents.
  • +1
  • I think we will find out more official news on June 20.
  • I think its quite obvious that whatever happens current WP7 users will get what ever new features our devices can handle and it will probably known as WP7.7. We can't expect everything because its a new OS. WP7 has been out now for nearly 2 years so its had its time and Oct/nov will be the time for us to all get new devices and support WP8. Happens with apple, android but I think MS will do the best on keeping current handset users happy. Unlike android who just ignore and apple who install new OS but slow older handsets to a stand still.
  • Yeah, I like Becky Worley and all but she's a bit of the Apple fan. Most of the twit.tv group (current or former) seem to take every opportunity to state facts, but put the most negative slant possible on everything Microsoft. The key word in the report is "features" exactly as you say. And more to my point, the advice was basically don't buy a Windows laptop now, buy a MacBook Pro right now because it's hot off the press. No mention of either the $15 upgrade to Windows 8 or the flipside of possibly waiting another two years for Apple to refresh the MBP again. If she does a similar report right after Windows 8 comes out, then I'll forgive her. And couldn't she have waited until next week when we might actually have some answers on Apollo?
  • You know what's funny.... even Thurrott seems to get drawn into TWiT's vortex of doom and gloom.  He's (Paul) much more entertaining on What the Tech, and I've listened to him in the last week on The Metro Developer Show and a new one called, "Ishist", same thing, cheery and funny.  Bring Laporte into the mix and somehow things just seem to get filled with negativity.
  • Seconded, I love "What the Tech", so I tried listening to "Windows Weekly" and it isn't even close. It isn't even the negative spins as much as Leo's voice...lol
  • Nobody asked why is there oranges if they are taking about mango?
  • ..or that we should see astronauts and stuff because its Apollo there talking :-D
  • I get it, its good to refresh and reset devices an OS with completly new gear. And no matter if you knew about WP8 and the eventually no backward issue, it still is a really wierd release cycle for phones that have a update path so simular to iPhone. Titan is on a normal path for instance, if you get what i mean.
  • Uh mango was released on 9/27
  • Its always funny to see so called "giants" claiming they know the insider news. Usually they are wrong because they get the info and rumors from bloggers. These "giants" never actually filter the rumors, they post what they think. I trust blogging news sites like wpcentral and wmpoweruser more than so called giants like yahoo, cnn and cnet. I still cant forget how CNN claimed that new ipad will have dual booting OS. They had the balls to actually make it as video report.
  • If they don't mention the update process next week then we'll know. Only 6 days to go.
  • T-Mobile dropped plans to launch the Nokia 900 because it won't support WP8. Remember the pink Lumia, inside T-Mobile they had the posters up, until MS broke this news to them. It is this simple. If Microsoft were going to support any of the phones then they wouldn't have to be coy about it. WinRT is a complete rewrite of the kernel that runs WP. Moving completely off the WP6.5 kernel that is currently being used and on to and the common new Windows 8 kernel. All device drivers that currently exist would require a rewrite. How to kill an ecosystem, ignore the people who are in it.
  • Except they are likely bringing full WP8 app support to them so you're getting the biggest aspect of WP8 that should matter for older devices.
  • WinRT is a set of APIs - it has nothing to do with kernel.
  • Well up until that point. New APIs exposed in WinRT means that any new functionality in software (like say SkyDrive or Notifications) can't be used on current phones, so developers need to branch or stop support. Basically its a really bad time to buy a Windows Phone - MS should be open and honest with its roadmap. Consumers deserve better.
  • It's stupid to market Lumia 900 so much only to let people move on to newer wp8 phones. Fair means current devices get a taste of wp8
  • Why do these people always want to make us sad??
  • I'm glad I position my shared plan so that I need an up grade after wp8 release.
  • I was recently at the Microsoft store looking at a Lumia 900. The sales rep came up and asked me if I was looking to upgrade but i told him i had verizon. Curiously he told me that i should come back in 3 months for verizon's new windows phones. I took it with a grain of salt but maybe on the odd chance he does know something, we could get them end of summer rather then fall.
  • I like that people want to be able to get wp 8 on their phones not even knowing what is in wp 8...
  • Why could a Mango device with the standard res not be updated to a new resolution?  You can adjust the resolution on your PC can you not?
  • Since you are likely to be flamed for this, let me just step in really quick. 
     
    Monitors on your PC, like monitors on your mobile devices have a maximum resolution.  The Max Resolution on WP devices out right now is 800x480.  Traditionally, you don't really see phones that are able to adjust it's resolution (i've only heard of concept devices that Handspree wanted to try years ago).
  • "you heard it hear first"  -> you heard it here first
  • I was going to say the same thing...
  • So, let me get this right, Microsoft should release previews of Windows Phone 8 around July (next month) and there will be leaks (as MS would want to get the hype up) so we should all hang around XDA to get a rom.
     
    Then about 2 months later some phones should hit the carriers, and if we want the FULL WIndows Phone 8 exp, we need to buy a new phone.
     
    Today's lesson from this is, Dont buy a new phone till Windows Phone 8 devices come out as you will be stuck in a 2 year contract and can't get the full WP8 exp. So, Unless your paying full price, dont upgrade yet....
     
    Thanks !!!