It's only the second week of February but it seems people are getting extremely anxious to see the first Build of Windows 10 released for Windows Phones. I don't envy Microsoft's Joe Belfiore, as it seems he's being inundated with queries about the release over Twitter. But, true to form, Joe has responded with tidbits of information that should help calm the masses enough to put away their torches and pitchforks and for now.
On Sunday, Joe confirmed that Terry Myerson's promise of a February preview is still on track. It just needs to complete some final testing.
Also, we're on track for Insider build coming "in Feb" as Terry said at our 1/21 event. We need to complete internal testing 1st, hang in!
— joebelfiore (@joebelfiore) February 8, 2015
Additionally, Joe also took time to answer some other outstanding questions concerning which phones will get the preview first, and also if phones with lower storage capacity would work with the Windows 10 preview. Here's how he answered:
512MB Smartphones
Hey all: we ARE working on Win10 for 512MB, including 520. Our ambition is to make #Win10 available for these devices but features may vary
— joebelfiore (@joebelfiore) February 8, 2015
Windows 10 for all?
Timing for various phones may be variable as well. When we first launch insider program, it'll be a subset of phones with more coming latr
— joebelfiore (@joebelfiore) February 8, 2015
So, it seems, while the preview will eventually be available for all supported phones, it will be a staggered rollout – not everyone will receive it on Day 1. Additionally, it will be available for lower capacity phones, however, some features may be missing.
It's rumored that Microsoft will be providing a rollback feature with Windows 10 for Windows Phones, to make it safer to test without destroying your phone completely. A smartphone, of course, is a critical tool. I had an issue with my HTC M8 yesterday, where it wouldn't power on at all. It eventually rectified itself, but it gave me a lump in the pit of my stomach, realizing I was without the ability to communicate with family. It's amazing how dependent we've become on our smartphones.
Will you be installing the preview?
