Microsoft - “I don't know if any Windows Mobile 6.5 device today meets (the) specifications” to upgrade to Windows Phone 7

At a recent interview with CNET Asia Aaron Woodman, Microsoft Mobile Communications Business Director revealed that no Windows Mobile 6.5 devices will get upgrades to Windows Phone 7 series.

When asked if users of the current Windows Mobile software can upgrade to Windows Phone 7 series, he said:

Woodman: I don’t know if any Windows Mobile 6.5 device today meets those specifications.

He went on to reveal the Qualcomm would be the only provider of processors for phones running Windows Phone 7, leaving any hopes of a Tegra device dashed.

Woodman: We will provide the OS primarily to software developers in March. Every 7 Series device will have a Qualcomm chip. It will be touch-based. There won’t be any non-touch, but that’s not saying there won’t be any keyboard devices, so they will all be touch and capacitive. There is a single aspect ratio. It will have Wi-Fi and GPS and other services which we will talk about soon.

Regarding Windows Mobile 6.5, he revealed that the OS will live on as long as enterprise wants it.

Woodman: We don’t have a specific timeline for Windows Mobile 6.5. It still has a lot of demand and value for both OEMs and customers today. The reality is that demand will determine the lifespan of Windows Mobile 6.5. So as long as OEMs and customers find value there, we’ll continue to support and sell the product.

Windows Mobile 6.5 will also be the only version of the OS that OEM’s are allowed to skin.

Lastly the  head of Mobile Services, Manish Ladha, for Microsoft Asia, revealed a lack of integration plans for Microsoft’s online services going forward.

Ladha: Hotmail, Messenger and Photos are the more popular ones. There’s also Spaces, but it’s not that prominent. SkyDrive is a very popular service on the PC. However, we have a similar service which is called MyPhone.

It seems there’s some duplication of services. Does Microsoft plan to combine them moving forward?
Ladha: I won’t call it duplication of features. It’s just that on the phone, there is no Windows Live SkyDrive for mobile. Instead, it’s MyPhone. So it’s ultimately performing the same actions.

It seems to me Microsoft still has a way to go to develop a coherent strategy for all of their customers, both business and consumer, which would also encompass all their services. Do our readers agree?

Read the full interview with much more detail at CNET Asia here