It seems WP7forum.ru had an interesting discussion with Eugene Gavrilov, head of design integration for Windows Phone, at a Microsoft conference last week. Gavrilov has been with Microsoft for about 5 years now, from the time the company started rebooting their mobile strategy, so he had some interesting tidbits about Windows Phone 8.
Basically he says that Windows Phone 8 is what they wanted to ship 3 years ago, but it would have been impossible due to all kinds of limiting factors. Instead they took a more limited approach and relied on Windows Phone 7 users to assist in the development process through suggestions and testing.
Talking about the new Start Screen with resizable tiles he reveals that resizable tiles were always a planned feature for Windows Phone but that they never had proper time to implement it in previous versions due to technical limitations.
He also mentions, quite frankly, that Windows Phone 7 was sort of a test version for all their ideas, and that most of the features we now see in Windows Phone 8 were planned from the start but never implemented due to technical limitations and time constraints. In fact, Gravrilov explains, that by the time a version of the OS ships, all the designs and features for the next version have to be planned so the code work can begin right away. This is why designers have to work 6 months and sometimes a year in advance.
Another bit of the interview that’s certainly interesting and encouraging is when he explains that Microsoft does indeed pay a lot of attention to suggestions from users on their User Voice page, each suggestion being collected, assessed and reviewed for technical feasibility.
Lastly he mentions that Windows Phone 7.8 might be the last version for the legacy OS, which goes against another rumor that has been circulating lately, but that it all depends on how the markets in India, Russia and China respond to the Windows Phone 7.8 devices that are currently being launched there.
Be sure to check the source link for the entire interview. Fair warning though: it’s in Russian. And drop us a line below with your comments.
Source: WP7forum.ru via: WMPU