Microsoft confuses on Windows 10 phone upgrades

First came the good news: Windows 10 would be a free upgrade; now comes the small print, that not everybody is going to be eligible. After Microsoft surprised Windows fans earlier this week with the promise that not only would those running Windows 8 get an upgrade to the latest OS, but those on Windows 7 too, some of the goodwill sheen has been rubbed off after first Windows RT users and now some Lumia Windows Phone owners have been left uncertain whether they'll ever get Windows 10 on their devices.

Earlier, Microsoft confirmed that the Surface 2 – which runs Windows RT rather than Windows 8 – would not be getting Windows 10. Instead, it will be upgraded with select features from the new OS, but not the full version.

Exactly which of those features will be ported over, and which won't make it across, hasn't been confirmed yet, adding to the confusion among those who snapped up Microsoft's official tablet.

Now, it's Windows Phone owners who are facing the same sort of uncertainty. According to Microsoft, while Windows 10 was created to run on existing phones as much as new devices, that doesn't mean all will be eligible for the new OS.

"Windows 10 has been designed to run well on today's Lumia phones. Like any upgrade to a new platform, not every phone will upgrade or support all possible Windows 10 features, and certain features and experiences will require more advanced future hardware. Our goal is for the majority of the Lumia phones running Windows Phone 8 and 8.1 to join the Windows ecosystem" Microsoft

Adding to the problem are tweets from back in November 2014, in which Microsoft promised Windows Phone 8 users that they would all get an upgrade to Windows 10.

It's possible that this is simply a poorly-worded disclaimer, and that Microsoft is trying to limit expectations for those with reluctant carriers or who perhaps never even saw a Windows Phone 8 update to their smartphones. Still, the suggestion that the company now only has it as a "goal" that the "majority" of WP8/WP8.1 devices will be upgraded is ominous.

Without any specific hardware requirements for Windows 10 on smartphones, it's hard to say which of today's phones will play nicely with the new OS and which won't. Microsoft clearly wants people to keep buying its handsets in the meantime, but we'd be wary of slapping down our cash until a definitive list emerges.

That may not happen until February, when the first "Insiders" get a glimpse of the phone version of Windows 10.

SOURCE Lumia Conversations