Fresh reports from this morning are suggesting that consumers in the United States may not need to wait that long to get their hands on a fabulous new Windows Phone 8 powered smartphone, with pre-orders for the first wave of handsets looking likely to begin in the next couple of weeks starting on October 21st.
Although we have seen a couple of Microsoft events that have introduced us to Windows Phone 8 in depth, including a joint event held with Nokia, but so far we haven’t come across an official launch date of Windows Phone 8 from Microsoft itself, though it’s widely accepted that it will launch globally on October 29th. If that turns out to be the case then it would fit in nicely with the rumored pre-order date of October 21st.
As part of the pre-order availability, AT&T customers will more than likely be able to reserve themselves one of a number of extremely powerful and sought-after devices that will be powered by Microsoft’s upgraded mobile operating system. The AT&T exclusive Nokia Lumia 920 will head that list along with the HTC 8X and the Samsung ATIV Smart PC and ASUS’ Vivo tablets. If the sources turn out to be accurate then there is definitely enough variation to get all users happy.
As we get closer and closer to an actual launch of Windows Phone 8, it represents quite an interesting and potentially nervous time for not only Microsoft but also Finnish smartphone maker Nokia. Relatively recent reports suggest that Windows Phone commanded a rather minuscule percentage of the smartphone market, with Android and iOS dominating the field. Microsoft will be hoping that the multiple upgrades to the software will change that.
Nokia will also be hoping that their Lumia 920 smartphone will live up to the hype that was generated at their press event and prove to be commercially successful. Microsoft hasn’t put all of their eggs in one basket this time around and have other manufacturers like HTC and Samsung who are building great hardware to compliment Windows Phone 8, and although some customers in the United States are a little upset that AT&T has the exclusive rights to the Lumia 920, here’s hoping that Nokia reap the rewards from what is a very capable smartphone.
(via TheVerge)
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