[Question] Windows Phone 8 May Require Windows 8 For Full Potential?

[Phantom Spaceman]

My best friend's contract with ATT is going to expire in January and he's been looking at various other carriers and devices. He currently has an iPhone but doesn't like the small screen, and Apple in general these days so he's looking for a change. He likes the WP7.5 devices and we've discussed the idea of moving to a WP. By the time he upgrades there should be a few WP8 devices out, but he's worried they'll require Windows 8 to get the full features out of. He absolutely will not move his home PC to Windows 8 so I was wondering; Are there plans or features that will require WP8 to need a Windows 8 PC? I haven't heard of any so I figured I'd pose the question to you guys. If not a requirement to run Windows 8, what are the benefits of running WP8 with Windows 8?

[rfirth]

It's not even a requirement to use Windows, much less Windows 8.

If you're not using Windows 8, you just miss out on the features of Windows 8... and if you're using WP8, Win8 is the natural complement.

[jakem1]

I think Windows 8 will complement WP8 but it's certainly not a requirement. The main benefits of running the two together are related to the integration with Microsoft's cloud services (Skydrive, Xbox Live, etc.) IMO. For instance when you take a photo with your phone it will be automatically uploaded to Skydrive and will then appear instantly in the Skydrive app in Windows 8.

[Phantom Spaceman]

I figured as much, but you know how companies are these days, and he was concerned. While I told him I didn't think it was that way I figured I'd see if I had missed something. Thanks for the responses.