Windows Phone 8 handsets may not land until November

According to the well sourced Mary Jo Foley, the next version of Windows Phone, Windows Phone 8, will not reach its RTM build until September, and will not become generally available until November. That means that no handsets running Windows Phone 8, or even phones that can run the code, will go on sale until the month before the holidays.

This matters for a number of reasons, chiefly because it means that Microsoft and its OEM partners have to keep hocking handsets that are quickly set to be obsolete, all the way up to November. That’s a long number of months from now, given their difficult position.

In case you hadn’t heard, Windows Phone 8 won’t run on any current Windows Phone handsets. So, all phones sold through November won’t be able to make the hop to the latest code. Any Windows Phone handset sold before Windows Phone 8 will be permanently stuck in a technological cul-de-sac.

This news likely explains why Nokia is ramping up production for its Lumia 900 handset in Argentina – the company has to sell the darn things for more than another 100 days.

And of course, by not coming out until November (it could even be late November), the total amount of time that Microsoft will have to take advantage of the holiday sales cycle, to move new phones, is limited. And as Windows Phone hasn’t had the easiest time of selling yet, to stack any restrictions on its ability move units is not welcome news.

But heck, maybe Microsoft can get the code done early.

Top Image Credit: Vernon Chan