None of the current crop of Windows Phone devices sports a dual-core processor, a feature common now in many other smartphones. Andy Lees, President, Windows Phone Division, has already explained that the move was deliberate and part of Microsoft’s strategy to “put things in place that allow us to leapfrog” its competitors. But an interesting report by WMPowerUser suggests a different reason. They suggest instead that Microsoft wanted to protect its new partner Nokia.
According to the unsubstantiated report, Microsoft chose to hold off on dual-core processors to give Nokia more time to get familiar with the Qualcomm chipsets used in Windows Phone devices. Its intention is to have Nokia be the first to market such devices.
Both HTC and Samsung would likely have offered dual-core Windows Phone devices if Microsoft had decided to support dual-core processors in Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango).
WMPowerUser has also learned that Microsoft has set itself the goal of selling 100 million Windows Phone devices in 2012. Nokia will play a big part in trying to achieve this goal.