Windows Phone 8 might not share Windows 8 kernel after all?

Last week, the Internet was all abuzz about a leaked presentation from Microsoft where a number of features and plans were revealed for the company's upcoming Windows Phone 8 OS. The next major update to Microsoft's mobile operating system, code named "Apollo", will have a number of new features. One of the most discussed was that Windows Phone 8 was going to share the same kernel that's being developed for the PC-based Windows 8 OS.

Now a new report on The Register web site claims this news might have been premature. The article, which cites unnamed Microsoft sources, claims that while the presentation that leaked on the Internet last week was genuine, the features in that presentation are more of a wish list for Microsoft rather than a confirmed and set in stone feature list. The current Windows Phone kernel is the same as the one developed for Windows CE 15 years ago.

However, having Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 sharing the same kernel will have some advantages. One of the biggest for Windows Phone will be increased device support. That would allow Windows Phone 8 to be used on a greater variety of mobile products, insted of being based on one hardware reference platform, like Windows Phone 7.5.