Windows Mobile 6.5 To Be Redubbed "Classic"
![Windows Mobile 6.5 To Be Redubbed "Classic" [Microsoft Still Planning To Support WM6, Focus Changing To Enterprise Solutions, Emerging Markets]](http://nexus404.com/Blog/thumbnailimages/alt/Windows-Phone-LogoTFTSThumb220153.jpg)
Windows Phone 7 was unveiled this past week in Spain at the Mobile World Congress. It has been well-received by the tech press, and considering that previous iterations of Windows Mobile have been (to put it bluntly) horrible, one might expect Microsoft to quickly end Windows Mobile 6. However, that won’t be the case.
The website “I Started Something” got an interview with some Microsoft employees at MWC and learned that Windows Mobile 6.5 will stick around, even after Windows Phone 7 has come out. Windows Mobile 6.5, the current iteration of Windows Mobile, will be renamed “Windows Phone Classic” and Microsoft will continue to support the aged mobile OS.
The big change in marketing and naming won’t happen until Windows Phone 7 has been released. While Windows Phone 7 will be the consumer-orientated model, Windows Phone Classic will be for “enterprise solutions” and emerging marketplaces.
Windows Mobile 6 has long been the de facto standard in rugged gadgets (PDAs, notebooks, tablets). Earlier this month, we reported on a leak that allegedly spoiled information on Windows Phone 7. That leak reported that Windows Phone 7 would not be backwards compatible with Windows Mobile 6 programs written in NETCF. Although Microsoft hasn’t confirmed this, other things from that leak, including the name of the UI (Metro) has turned out to be true.
Therefore, if Windows Phone 7 doesn’t have backwards compatibility with NETCF, then enterprise users would be unable to use a lot of their custom applications on the new mobile OS. Hence the need for continued support of Windows Mobile 6.
Microsoft didn’t say what kind of support that Windows Mobile 6 fans can expect on the new Windows Phone Classic, but they did point out that it’ll likely be like the recent Windows Mobile 6.5.3 update that the mobile OS currently received.
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The TFTS Team
At least “Windows Phone Classic” is slightly easier to say than “Windows Phone Series Seven”.
Previously Windows Mobile. Previously PocketPC. Why does Microsoft need to change the name of it so often? Are they trying to erase your memory of the last one?
Windows Phone Classic has reached end-of-life status. You can be sure there won’t be major upgrades to it. Maybe security patches, and minor cosmetic adjustments.
You can also be sure that application development has stopped in its tracks for Windows Phone Classic. App developers are going to have to start assessing which platform they’ll port their business apps to. I think most will go to Android and Blackberry. Nobody knows how WP7S will go in the market.
If the new OS is not going to be backwards compatible then I’m off to Blackberry. I’m fed up with microsoft pushing me where I don’t want to go and forcing me to spend money again on apps I like and which work fine as is. I have no intention of going that route and will be off elsewhere is there’s no support for my extensive software collection for windows mobile on the new devices.
If I wanted an MP3 player, I’d have bought one. zune type