Microsoft lines up 'superphones' for 2012 - Telegraph

Microsoft is preparing a new generation of Windows Phone “superphones” for 2012 to according to company plans leaked online.

The introduction of such handsets next year is expected to set the scene for the next major battle of the smartphone wars, with the iPhone 5 and more advanced Android devices also in the works.

Although there is no firm definition for a superphone, they are generally expected to include very high definition screens, more powerful multi-core processors based on ARM’s forthcoming A15 architecture and connectivity over next generation mobile broadband.

In a leaked “roadmap” for Windows Phone, Microsoft said it would introduce superphones in the fourth quarter of 2012. The new hardware will come alongside a new version of its mobile operating system, dubbed “Apollo”.

The current version of Windows Mobile, “Mango”, released in October, was generally well-received by reviewers. Microsoft was late to properly join the smartphone wars, however, and sales have been slow so far, despite the introduction of Nokia's first flagship Windows Phone handset, the Lumia 800.

Nokia committed to making only Windows Phone devices early in 2011, but has said it will only begin to fully exploit the partnership when Apollo is released.

“We made the decision to go to Windows Phone when Mango was pretty much done, so we were able to impact some elements of it but you'll really see the fruits of what we can do with Microsoft when the Apollo version of Windows Phone comes out,” spokesman Niklas Savander said in October.

Microsoft’s leaked roadmap reveals that with the release of Apollo it will also increase the overall volume of Windows Phone handsets being produced as it aims to increase its market share.

It also suggests there will be a focus on the business market late in 2012. It is seen as a good opportunity for Microsoft because of its dominance of desktop computing and the current weakness of RIM and its BlackBerry lineup, which have been popular among corporate buyers.

Between now and the release of Apollo, another update to Windows Phone called “Tango” is due out, Microsoft’s leaked roadmap shows. According to the plans, in the second quarter of 2012 Tango will focus on pushing Windows Phone downmarket, into “products with the best prices”.

News that major updates to Windows Phone at the cutting edge of the market are almost a year away has disappointed some devotees and prompted concerns that Microsoft could fall further behind Apple and Google in the meantime. Both are expected to push their handsets into the superphone era earlier in 2012.