Microsoft has just released support dates for Windows Phone 7.8 and 8, and they do seem to paint a somewhat rosy picture. They’ve in effect confirmed that they will support Windows Phone 8 devices with security updates and bug fixes until 8th July, 2014 while their Windows Phone 7.8 brethren would get those benefits till 9th September of the same year.
What is most disappointing here is that Microsoft has not yet confirmed whether present day Windows Phone 8 devices would get updated to future OS versions. As it is, Microsoft lost out on a lot of goodwill among their current customers when they announced that they would not be updating Windows Phone 7.5 devices to WP8 and since then, you can’t really trust Microsoft to swing either way when it comes to OS upgrades.
As far as hardware is concerned, it really shouldn’t be a problem. The current Windows Phone 8 hardware platform seems a lot more future proof compared to the one before it. At this point, it is somewhat essential for Microsoft to show that they can best both iOS and Android when it comes to legacy device support if they are to get any sort of traction in the industry.
It is of note that said security updates would also depend on country, carrier and manufacturer. So you can’t really take Microsoft to task if your OEM decides to stop supporting your device before 8th July.
