You may well be aware that mainstream support for Windows 8 is set to end on January 9, 2018. And even though Microsoft is yet to reveal the date when it plans on ending support for Windows RT, the support for Surface RT is listed as ending on April 11, 2017.
With those two dates out of the way, the big question that arises is when Redmond is planning to pull the support plug off of both Windows 8 and Windows 7.8.
A quick glance at the company’s support page shows that mainstream support for Windows Phone 7.8 is supposed to end on September 9, 2014 — a date not very far away when you think about it.
What’s more surprising is that the corresponding deadline for Windows Phone 8 is even earlier, by a good few months. June 8, 2014 is the date listed for the company’s latest mobile operating system.
Now obviously there are more than a few differences between desktop operating systems and mobile platforms, and these differences factor in a lot in deciding when to end mainstream support.
Having said that, these dates are when support ends for the original releases of Windows Phone 7.8 and 8. It is not out of the question to see Microsoft revising these deadlines when updates to both versions are released in the coming months.
The long rumored Windows Phone Blue update, if it covers Windows Phone 7.8, then a mainstream support change is not out of the question. Even if it doesn’t, there is word that Windows Phone 7.8 has at least one more update in store for it.
Expect the date to bump further if it happens.
But very clearly, Microsoft is keen on smaller support cycles for its mobile operating systems, unlike the main version of Windows. The life of mobile devices is an important consideration here.
