A high-ranking Microsoft exec says Windows Phone 7 is a handset-specific operating system and was not designed to power tablets.
Speaking during Redmond’s Worldwide Partners Conference, Windows Phone president Andy Lees opined that consumers “want to be able to do the sort of things they do on a PC on a tablet.”
“And we view a tablet as a PC,” he explained.
As such, running Windows Phone 7 on a tablet would be “in conflict” with consumer preferences, as well as Microsoft’s mobile strategy.
According to Lees, Windows 8 – which supports both ARM and x86 architecture – is expected to drive adoption of Microsoft-powered tablets in the near future.
Lees also said PCs, tablets and phones will eventually come together in a “unified ecosystem,” echoing Steve Ballmer’s belief that “Windows will be everywhere on every device without compromise.”
Windows 8 – for both ARM and x86 SoCs – is slated to launch sometime in 2012.
Although the future of Windows Phone 7 remains uncertain, a number of journalists and analysts have speculated the evolving OS could be phased out and replaced by the highly versatile Windows 8.
However, other analysts, such as those from Gartner and IDC, believe WP7 paired with Nokia hardware could potentially become the No. 2 platform on the mobile market by 2015.
[Via AppleInsider]
