Microsoft to End Support for Windows Phone 8 in July 2014 Without a Successor

Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 has been on the market for just under 6 months now, yet we already know that the End-of-Life (EOL) for this product is coming in just over a year. Microsoft have published their latest support cycle data report for its current array of mobile operating systems and Microsoft has made quite an important announcement. Windows Phone 7.8 and 8 will both have support ended in 2014. Windows Phone 8 goes first in July 2014 while Windows Phone 7.8 goes a bit later in September 2014. This basically means both devices have had an 18 month life cycle, this is very short and something we are not used to seeing from Microsoft.

What’s more shocking though, is the fact that Microsoft have made no promise that existing hardware using Windows Phone 7.8 and 8 will be covered by future updates for important things like security updates, bug fixes, etc. For those who have actually bought Windows Phone’s this will make them even more bitter about what was already a leap-of-faith decision. Surprisingly enough, Microsoft also haven’t published any details on a successor to Windows Phone 7.8 and 8. This suggests that we might not see a replacement, and Microsoft might just pull-out of the mobile OS market entirely. However, the more likely option is that speculation about Windows Blue will materialise and Windows Blue will become Microsoft’s new mobile OS. Whether Windows Blue is any more equipped to fight with Android and iOS is anyone’s guess, but what is certain is that there is almost no point of investing in a Windows phone between now and 2014 because the death knell has already been struck for the current range.

Do you have a Windows phone? What do you think of it compared to Android and iOS? Are you unhappy Microsoft might withdraw update support for it as early as next July? If you don’t already have a Windows Phone will this decision make you even less likely to buy one? Let us know what you think.

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