A Microsoft executive reportedly told a U.K. audience that the next major revision of the company's smartphone software, Windows Mobile 7, will be out this time next year. The revelation came during a Q&A at the Connect! Technology summit in London in early December, according to several published reports, including one by Mobile News. "When Apple came on to the scene a couple of years ago, it threw away the rulebook and reinvented it," Phil Moore, Microsoft's U.K. head of mobility, was quoted as having told the audience, complimenting Apple's development of a phone that was "very iconic ... with a very good user interface." Windows Mobile 7 aims to "redress the balance," he added. However, it will take time to deliver, with Moore saying that the OS has been pushed back until late in 2010.