What is this 18 month Support Thing?

[Kenzibit]

If you all remember from the Windows Phone Summit, it was mentioned that all devices launced will have (receive updates) for a period of 18 months.

What does this mean brothers? Does it mean every WP device released will be neglected and won't be able to upgrade to another major OS update just like today's 1st and 2nd gen devices after 18 months.

What if we get quad core, NFC and all these hardcore hardware goodies? Will a phone with all the wonderful specs still be neglected? I really don't see how if the Kernels and cores are not changed.

Typical example: Will the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy III loose support for Android ONE DAY??? Even if the Android kernel and the cores still remain the same???

I'm really lost and need your opinions...any explanations?

 

[drupad2drupad]

If you all remember from the Windows Phone Summit, it was mentioned that all devices launced will have (receive updates) for a period of 18 months.

What does this mean brothers? Does it mean every WP device released will be neglected and won't be able to upgrade to another major OS update just like today's 1st and 2nd gen devices after 18 months.

What if we get quad core, NFC and all these hardcore hardware goodies? Will a phone with all the wonderful specs still be neglected? I really don't see how if the Kernels and cores are not changed.

Typical example: Will the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy III loose support for Android ONE DAY??? Even if the Android kernel and the cores still remain the same???

I'm really lost and need your opinions...any explanations?

I hope it does lose support after 18 months as that leaves the room for new innovation every 18 months which is fantastic if you as an end user want value for money! 18 months in gadget years is a long time. I would rather prefer new screen res, new processors, new add-ons to the hardware that can be exploited using an updated OS. However, yes if the OS can do all these by not changing kernel etc, we might potentially still be able to update to newer OS, but would you not want those hardware features that evolve in 18 months? I would!

 

[Zhariak]

18 Months is too short...

Think of how the latest gen phones got a front facing camera, yet we won't see Skype integration unless we upgrade to WP8...

What features will the 2nd gen of WP8 phones get that won't be used until WP9?

18 months is wayyyy too short... 36 would be a more fair number!

 

[drupad2drupad]

18 Months is too short...

Think of how the latest gen phones got a front facing camera, yet we won't see Skype integration unless we upgrade to WP8...

What features will the 2nd gen of WP8 phones get that won't be used until WP9?

18 months is wayyyy too short... 36 would be a more fair number!

For example, they could exploit the possibility of x86 instead of ARM?
or hexa-cores?
or kinect sensors?

Now imagine if we could run the new kernel and MSFT would give WP8 to us right now, but we had same hardware, we wouldn't be seeing those NFC goodies on our current phones or those games that exploit multicores!

 

[MikeyMike01]

18 Months is too short...

Think of how the latest gen phones got a front facing camera, yet we won't see Skype integration unless we upgrade to WP8...

What features will the 2nd gen of WP8 phones get that won't be used until WP9?

18 months is wayyyy too short... 36 would be a more fair number!

That would be idiotic. 3 years?

And considering that Android manufacturers abandon you before you've even bought it, 18 months is perfectly fine.

Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium

 

[vicious2500]

18 months is fine its the length of your contracts eligibility so essentially your phone will be supported until the next wave comes out.

 

[Marvin_S]

18 months is perfect, means you can enjoy your latest update for a half year before your contract expires and you can renew it icm with a new phone.

 

[Kenzibit]

Come to think of this, then someone like me need not buy a flagship phone. When WP8 comes out, they'll be low end, mid range and high end phones, since I don't play a lot of games on my phone and just use my social, forum and productivity apps, I really don't need to buy a WP GS3 or One X like WP which will no be supported in 18 months time. Both high end and low end WP 8 devices will not be supported in 18 months time then I better buy a cheap WP8 device when it comes out. Or am I wrong?


Sent from my HTC HD7 using Board Express

 

[Kenzibit]

And also are they giving us 18 months support based on the expirations of contracts? If so then they are not being fair to some of us who buy phones off contract. You really need to use your phone like forever if you buy one coz they are damn expensive.

Sent from my HTC HD7 using Board Express

 

[MikeyMike01]

And also are they giving us 18 months support based on the expirations of contracts? If so then they are not being fair to some of us who buy phones off contract. You really need to use your phone like forever if you buy one coz they are damn expensive.

Sent from my HTC HD7 using Board Express

Why is this such a complicated concept?

It's 18 months from when the phone is released.

If you buy a year old phone, then that would be your problem.

Sent from my SGH-I777

 

[DavidinCT]

Personally, I think it should be at least 24 months, in the US we all end up with 2 year contracts. Now if you buy the phone 3-4 months after it's release, who's fault is that ? Yours not Microsoft.

Now here's another good question that should effect US users. Does this 18 months start when the phone is released by the Carriers or the OEM ? Phones released in the US tend to get an overseas release before the US, sometimes as much as 6 months (GSM or CDMA).

How about the case of the Verizon Trophy or the Sprint Arrive, for example. The GSM Trophy was released about 8-9 months BEFORE the CDMA releases of the Arrive or the (few weeks later) Trophy. Yea, people say they are different phones but, MS could say, no a Trophy is a Trophy. Are you saying when I buy a CDMA phone (better coverage in the US now) my upgrades from Microsoft could only be 6-7 months on a just released phone, that I just signed a new 2 year contract on (sorry Lumia 900 owners) ?????????????????

All I know, when the WP8 devices start shipping, I will watch for the most popular one on here, and buy that one, because the XDA hackers will give me WP9, even if Microsoft does not

 

[eeeelliott]

All its saying is Microsoft has to support them for AT LEAST 18 months. It doesn't mean they're necessarily going to abandon every 18 month old phone. All the contract says is that they are obliged to support us for 18 months. Who knows? We might even get windows phone 9 on or wp8 devices if they are compatible!

 

[DavidinCT]

Knowing how Microsoft updates Windows and the XBOX, I would bet that you would get EVERY update including the major release, Unless your over 18 months after release (after 18months you will get all minor releases but, no more major updates).

As in the xbox, if your system requres a update, you can not access xbox live till you update. I'm sure MS would want everything standardized and on the same level if possable.

 

[sinister1]

The question is what happens after the 18 moths are up? Will they stop releasing apps for it? Will they shut the market place down for Windows Phone 7.8 users like they did with Windows Mobile forcing everyone to go to Windows Phone 8?

 

[MikeyMike01]

The question is what happens after the 18 moths are up? Will they stop releasing apps for it? Will they shut the market place down for Windows Phone 7.8 users like they did with Windows Mobile forcing everyone to go to Windows Phone 8?

Nothing happens after 18 months.

Sent from my SGH-I777

 

[DavidinCT]

The question is what happens after the 18 moths are up? Will they stop releasing apps for it? Will they shut the market place down for Windows Phone 7.8 users like they did with Windows Mobile forcing everyone to go to Windows Phone 8?

Nothing really...

They stop supporting your device(as for updates). I know that just because WP9 hits, your apps are not going to stop working or anything like that. It just means just like now, your going to get a minor update for Wp 7.5, and they will move on to WP8, all current apps will work fine and most of WP8 apps would work too (some games and big production apps could be an acception.)

As someone posted on another thread, a programmer today creating an app for WP8 would want to make it backwards compatable to 7.5/8 to reach the most people possable and reach higher sales amounts. If you just make a WP8 only app, you limit the people who can access your app. Just makes business cense...

Some apps will need the WP8 features and those you will not be able to run (high impact games will be the acception for the most part).

 

[slimshady322]

As someone posted on another thread, a programmer today creating an app for WP8 would want to make it backwards compatable to 7.5/8 to reach the most people possable and reach higher sales amounts. If you just make a WP8 only app, you limit the people who can access your app. Just makes business cense...

Some apps will need the WP8 features and those you will not be able to run (high impact games will be the acception for the most part).

But if it is a port from Android, iOS or even a Windows 8 Metro App, it is way easier to port to WP8 than to WP7, and if WP8 sales are good, it might not be profitable to support the small marketshare that WP7 holds.

However, as of today your statement is of course true because there is not even a WP8 SDK.

 

[drupad2drupad]

But if it is a port from Android, iOS or even a Windows 8 Metro App, it is way easier to port to WP8 than to WP7, and if WP8 sales are good, it might not be profitable to support the small marketshare that WP7 holds.

However, as of today your statement is of course true because there is not even a WP8 SDK.

Any new OS version WON'T have a bigger marketshare than that times ongoing OS.

e.g.

WP7.5 will have more than WP7.8 at its launch
WP7.8 will have more than WP8 at its launch
WP8 will have more than WP9 at its launch
etc.

So... even if WP8 sales are good since day 1, it will take at least 6-8 months to overtake that time's WP7.x userbase.

In the least effect, a W8 developer who ONLY ports to WP8 is losing potential 12 million customers - simple maths.