Joe Belfiore: Windows 10 update for 512MB phones in the works

Microsoft promised that the Windows 10 update is coming to "most" of the Lumia phones, but that meant some are not getting it. One suggestion was that it will be phones with 512MB RAM that will get the axe as even the lowly Lumia 435 has 1GB of RAM.

But no – Joe Belfiore (VP of Operating Systems) confirmed on Twitter that Microsoft is working on an update for those phones. Note that "working on" is not the same as "will certainly release." Also, Belfiore says that "features may vary," the timing of the update is variable as well.

Hey all: we ARE working on Win10 for 512MB, including 520. Our ambition is to make #Win10 available for these devices but features may vary

— joebelfiore (@joebelfiore) February 8, 2015

The Lumia 520 alone makes up 23.8% of the Windows Phone devices worldwide, but most of the others in the Top 10 are also 512MB devices. In short, if 512MB devices miss out on Windows 10 it would have been a major blow to the platform.

It's sill not clear which features will be cut. In fact it's not particularly clear what new features Windows 10 will add to phones, beyond the universal app platform. Limiting features is not a new practice, Apple has been doing it with iOS and older iPhones for years.

Timing for various phones may be variable as well. When we first launch insider program, it'll be a subset of phones with more coming latr

— joebelfiore (@joebelfiore) February 8, 2015

This month Microsoft will be releasing the first test build of Windows 10 for phones to the Insiders community that is helping with the beta testing. This will give us a better idea of what the new phone OS will be like.

Source | Via