Nokia is planning to release a new Windows Phone device every few months after the launch of its first model next year.
Speaking to PC Magazine, Jo Harlow, executive vice-president of smart devices at Nokia, said the company will launch a new device “in a rhythm” that could be seen to be as regular as every three months.
Harlow acknowledged many other mobile manufacturers using Windows Phone, such as HTC and Samsung, were releasing phones for the OS quite slowly. She said this was possibly because for these manufacturers, Windows Phone is a secondary platform, whereas Nokia will be making it its primary OS.
The first Nokia smartphone with Windows Phone on it could be seen later this year. It will run the latest version of Microsoft’s operating system, Windows Phone 7.1, which will arrive in autumn of 2011.
Symbian support until 2016
As for its currently primary operating system Symbian, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said they will continue to invest in it until at least 2016.
“We’re in a period where the investment in Symbian absolutely continues,” Elop said.
“Even as we go through a transition towards our primary smartphone platform, Windows Phone, you will see that continued investment.
“And I know there’s been questions about – so how long does that continue – and we’ve now been very clear about that, that software updates to Symbian devices are expected until at least 2016. So there’s a long history still to be paved for Symbian in the future,” said Elop.
Elop said this ongoing support would include maintaining its customer services and apps for its Symbian userbase.
