Richi Jennings

Confirmed: Windows Phone 8 OS 'Apollo' has PC kernel

February 03, 2012 4:25 AM EST
Windows 8 The Windows Phone 8 OS, code-named 'Apollo', will have the same kernel as the Windows 8 for PCs and tablets. A leak of a Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) partner video tells us this and much more info about the new smartphone platform. It's now been confirmed by people who were under a non-disclosure agreement. Redmond isn't commenting though. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers cheer the death of Windows CE.
 
Your humble blogwatcher (@Richi ) curated these bloggy bits for your entertainment. Not to mention: Canadian Lego Man... IN SPAAACE!..
 
 
A breathless Evan Blass reveals all:
Thanks to a video..intended for partners at Nokia, a number of WP8 features and themes have now been revealed. .. Apollo will add support for multicore processors, new screen resolutions..and removable microSD card storage.
..
Windows Phone 8 won't just share a UI with the next-generation desktop and tablet OS..it will use many of the same components..[including] kernel, networking stacks, security, and multimedia support.
..
It's probably safe to say that the jump..to Apollo will be nearly as significant as the transition from Windows Mobile to Windows Phone.    M0RE
   
Paul Thurrott confirms the NDA-busting leak:
I can now publicly discuss Windows Phone 8 for the first time. .. Apollo will be based on the Windows 8 kernel and not on Windows CE. .. [It] will also be tied closely to the desktop version of Windows 8 in other ways. .. [T]hey're companion products in every sense of the word.
..
Windows Phone 8 will include full-device..encryption with BitLocker and always-on Secure Boot. .. Also, it will support additional Exchange ActiveSync policies..System Center configuration settings and inventory capabilities.
..
Obviously, there are still plenty of..information I'll continue to protect. But..Microsoft's plans for Windows Phone are quite exciting.    M0RE
 
As do Tom Warren and Joanna Stern, who also talk Skype:
Through speaking to [Blass], we can confirm that the video is authentic, intended for internal use only.
..
[The] biggest app details revealed are related to Skype integration..fully integrated at the OS level.
..
It's without a doubt a very hefty and exciting update. .. Microsoft says it has "no official comment."    M0RE
 
And Alex Wilhelm outlines what Microsoft is up to:
  • Similar user interface. ..
  • Similar app experience..includ[ing] the ability to recycle massive amounts of code. ..
  • Similar mobile hardware..allow[ing] users to jump from device to device with little confusion.
  • Similar content experience..syncs and manages media for all three platforms (including Xbox).
For the end-user..the user experience will be all but the same..no small feat; Microsoft is essentially all-in with Metro. .. The current Windows desktop feels like a damn afterthought at this point.    M0RE

So will Microsoft have to now open the kimono? Mary Jo Foley thinks not:
The Mobile World Congress..kicks off later this month and Microsoft..is going to have a big presence there. I’ve heard..that Microsoft is going to start talking about Apollo.
..
[But] I’m doubtful the Redmondians are going to talk about it publicly at the show. .. I’d say Apollo talk will be..behind closed doors with select partners and carriers. .. If Microsoft were to start talking about all the great features in Windows Phone 8..momentum for the soon-to-be-announced [WP7] products would plummet before it even had a chance to build.    M0RE
  
And Finally...
Canadian Lego Man... IN SPAAACE!
[hat tip: Ian Lamont]
  
 
Don't miss out on IT Blogwatch:
Richi Jennings, your humble blogwatcherRichi Jennings is an independent analyst/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and security. He's the creator and main author of Computerworld's IT Blogwatch -- for which he has won American Society of Business Publication Editors and Jesse H. Neal awards on behalf of Computerworld. He also writes The Long View for IDG Enterprise. A cross-functional IT geek since 1985, you can follow him as @richi on Twitter, pretend to be richij's friend on Facebook, or just use good old email: itbw@richij.com. You can also read Richi's full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.