Windows Mobile 7 arriving 2010 - no Zune phone though

By Nick Mansell on Wed 25 February 2009

As sleep inducing as a Microsoft "Strategic Update Meeting" sounds, today's SUM (as we comatose regulars like to call them) has turned up some tasty news treats - starting with Windows Mobile 7.

Along with some depressing (well, if you're a Microsoft exec) news on the "somewhat unprofitable" state of Windows Mobile as it currently stands, CEO extraordinaire, Steve Ballmer, remained chipper, pointing out that bargain-basement Windows Mobile devices were likely to be in-demand, bringing in some welcome pennies. More importantly he confirmed Windows Mobile 7 - the promised land for Windows Mobile fans - would be landing some time next year.

That may disappoint some who were hoping for a late 2009 release but with Windows Mobile 6.5 only just finishing off the after-sun bottle it took to its launch at Barcelona's Mobile World Congress, it always seemed unlikely that Microsoft would want to rush out a full successor version so soon.

Before hanging up the conference call, Ballmer also had one more rumour-smashing assertion - stating firmly, once again, that it won't be doing an Apple and manufacturing its own Zune phone. No real surprise there either - Microsoft's been hinting for a while that it sees Windows Mobile as the vehicle for bringing the Zune to phones. Windows Mobile 6.5 already has some Zune-like elements in its menus and the Zunification of Windows Mobile only looks set to continue in version 7.

[WMPoweruser.com]