Microsoft exec says Windows 10 Mobile coming in “the November

With all the excitement around the arrival of Windows 10 for PCs and laptops, many are wondering when the official final version will arrive for handset.

Till now we have not heard anyone at Microsoft suggest a date one way or the other, but now an executive at Microsoft South Africa has let slip some more detail about the new OS.

Anthony Doherty, Windows and Surface Business Group Lead at Microsoft SA has spoken to iAfrica.com at the Windows 10 launch party and according to that publication he cautiously pointed to a “November timeframe”.

This was of course for the local market and it could be somewhat later than USA for example.  He also revealed Cortana will not be available in South Africa, at least for now, and suggested that the media should not be concerned about the recent Microsoft Mobile lay-offs, as they were “long in coming” and neither by Microsoft’s strategy of developing for other platforms.

“I don’t think that’s the case… When you look at us as a productivity company, we will continue to land all of our services on all ecosystems,” he said.

“The idea is that we want to make sure that people get access to the toolsets they prefer and love, across any ecosystem. That’s been our strategy all along,” Doherty continued.

“So, the perception is ‘oh, but you kinda develop for Android and iOS now and you haven’t done for (Windows) Phone’. Well… the phone product’s not code-complete yet. The platform’s not code-complete,” he added, pointing to the upcoming universal apps strategy as a big opportunity for mobile.

He also alluded to Continuum on future Windows Phones, suggesting it would not be possible without a dongle, saying:

“That [Continuum for phones feature – ed] has a… let’s call it a box for the moment… that you connect your phone into. That will be available with the premium devices that will be sold – with and without. So you’ll be able to buy it as a standalone accessory but you’ll also be able to buy it as a bundle.”

I suspect however that despite this wireless Continuum for phones will still be possible if the right (Miracast-enabled) hardware is available.