It's all hands on deck at Microsoft right now: with a variety of high-visibility phone launches from partners scheduled before the end of the year, the company has not yet finished the Windows Phone 8 software, The Verge has learned.
Microsoft and Nokia's Lumia 920 announcement last week may have been a preemptive strike against Apple's iPhone 5, but both companies are now working overtime to ensure Windows Phone 8 launches on schedule. We're told by multiple sources that Microsoft had originally planned to launch Windows Phone 8 in early October, ahead of the launch of Windows 8. Microsoft is now targeting an October 29th software launch event with devices available throughout November, a slight delay to its original schedule.
Delays and bugs during testing have pushed back the launch, and associated devices, by weeks. We're told that HTC in particular has had a tough time testing one of its Windows Phone 8 devices, a process that has impacted its ability to announce handsets as early as Samsung and Nokia. Microsoft has been working closely with US carriers to ensure testing times are reduced. In some cases carriers may ship devices without any of the usual customizations, to reduce test times and ensure a November launch schedule remains likely. The tight schedule means that any delays in final carrier testing will impact the availability dates of Windows Phone 8 devices.
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