Microsoft's Windows Phone Chief Talks Momentum

Microsoft President Andy Lees is talking up Windows Phone this week, but he's not limiting his revelations to the recently released Windows Phone 7.5: He says that dual-core CPUs and 4G LTE support are coming to the platform, too, probably in 2012.

First, of course, we need to get Windows Phone 7.5 to market. Lees says that we can expect new handsets based on Windows Phone 7.5 to appear throughout the rest of the year, including more affordable models that will retail for well under $100.

"We're not making specific predictions, but I think that our momentum is going to build," Lees told AllThingsD. "Our first [release] was about mindshare, and really getting the credibility, and I think Windows Phone 7.5 is really about starting to build unit volume and market share."

Apple's iPhone 4S, which was launched last week to mostly negative reviews, is an opening for Windows Phone 7.5, Lees says, pointing to data from IDC and Gartner suggesting that Microsoft's mobile OS will surpass the iPhone by 2015.

Meanwhile, market leader Android has its own issues, Lee claims. "I think Android is heading down this chaotic phase," he told The Seattle Times. "Some Android phones are great, but some of them are not great. But it's random. And it feels like, with some of them, that you've had several cooks in the kitchen trying to bake different things with the same thing. Whereas we have much more coherency in the totality of what somebody gets when they buy our phone."

Obviously, Nokia is a big part of Microsoft's strategy for Windows Phone, as well. The mobile firm will announce its first Windows Phone handsets later this month and roll out new models throughout the next year. "Nokia has more reach than anybody else in terms of selling phones," Lees notes. "They directly and indirectly manage over 600,000 retail outlets."

Looking a bit further down the road, Lees says that both 4G LTE and dual-core CPU support are coming in 2012, though it's not clear how these capabilities will be rolled out to customers. He said that today's single-core Windows Phones will outperform most dual-core Android devices already, and that LTE was simply too unfriendly for battery life.

Windows Phone has its work cut out for it, regardless: Apple's lackluster iPhone 4S garnered more than 1 million preorders in its first 24 hours of availability, though much of that is likely tied to the delayed launch.