Windows Phone

Windows Phone
Logo
Screenshot
DeveloperMicrosoft Corporation
Source modelClosed source
Initial releaseWindows Pocket PC 2000
(19 April 2000)
Latest releaseWindows 10 Mobile
(17 March 2016)
Supported platformsx86, AMD64, ARM32, ARM64
Kernel typeHybrid (CE up to WP7, NT from WP8 on)
LicenseProprietary

Windows Phone (previously called Windows Mobile) is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft, initially based on the Windows CE kernel before moving to the NT kernel. This operating system has gone through many different iterations, the first being Pocket PC and Smartphone; the former had two versions and the latter only had one. It would later be rebranded to Windows Mobile; Microsoft later abandoned this OS in favor of Windows Phone, initially released in 2010. Windows Phone 8 shifted the OS to the NT kernel, then Windows 10 Mobile was released, serving as the mobile counterpart of Windows 10.

On 8 October 2017, Microsoft announced that the company would no longer develop new features or hardware for the operating system due to low market share and the lack of third-party apps on the platform. Microsoft decided to instead focus on developing software efforts that have included providing apps and services to competing mobile operating systems like Android and iOS.[1]

Timeline[edit | edit source]

Windows Pocket PC
Name OS version Release date Support end date Notes
Windows Pocket PC 2000 3.0 2000-04-19 2007-09-10
Windows Pocket PC 2002 3.0 2001-10-04 2008-10-14
Windows Mobile
Name OS version Release date Support end date Notes
Windows Mobile 2003 4.2 2003-06-23 2014-07-08
Windows Mobile 5.0 5.0 2005-05-09 2015-10-13
Windows Mobile 6.0 6.0 2007-02-12 2013-01-08
Windows Mobile 6.1 6.1 2008-04-01
Windows Mobile 6.5 6.5 2009-05-11
Windows Phone
Name OS version Release date Support end date Notes
Windows Phone 7 7.0 Worldwide: 2010-10-21
US: 2010-11-10
2014-10-14
Windows Phone 8 8.0 (NT 6.2) 2012-10-29 2014-07-08
Windows Phone 8.1 8.1 (NT 6.3) 2014-07-15 2017-07-11
Windows 10 Mobile
Name OS version Release date Support end date Notes
Windows 10 Mobile 10.0 (NT 10.0) 2016-03-17 2020-01-14 End date extended from 10 December 2019 to 14 January 2020.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Fingas, Jon. Microsoft exec says Windows 10 Mobile is no longer a 'focus', Engadget. 8 October 2017.