It feels as though we have been talking about Windows Phone 8.1 forever now, and just a few days ago rumors emerged suggesting that the operating system was complete. Now it seems as though the ‘almost’ complete version of Windows Phone 8.1 we heard about is in fact the version that has been supplied to handset manufacturers.
Windows Phone Central is reporting that despite the fact that there are still a few bugs to fix, the version we learned about on 26 March is the one that manufacturers are working with. And it also looks as though the first batch of Windows Phone 8.1 handsets are really not very far away.
23 April has been pinned down as the date on which the first devices are likely to be seen, including the Lumia 630 and Lumia 930 that Nokia is widely expected to unveil in the coming days.
It’s not clear when 8.1 updates will be rolled out to Windows Phone 8 devices, but in all probability the Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview will appear first — so you can always install it for yourself if you don’t want to wait to be spoonfed.
Build starts next week in San Francisco, and we’re expecting to see an official announcement about Windows Phone 8.1 there. Watch this space… there’s going to be a lot of news coming up over the next few days.
Further reading: Nokia, Windows Phone 8.1
