Leaked information from within Microsoft has been able to shed some light on what the next big update for its Windows Phone operating system will be able to deliver fans.

Windows Phone Apollo, as the update is thought to be called, will probably be referred to as Windows Phone 8, given the significance of the changes and improvements which it makes. It will also be built along the same lines as the Windows 8 desktop and tablet operating system, which Microsoft will be launching before the end of the year, to ensure continuity across platforms.

Amongst the details published by PocketNow are suggestions that Near Field Communication (NFC) will be a core asset of Windows Phone Apollo and that users will be able to easily pay for products and services using a secure wallet application.

Mobile network providers will be able to apply their own branding to the NFC experience in order to make it consistent with their other products. It also sounds like Microsoft will enable NFC-embedded SIM cards to be used, so that older Windows Phone handsets, like the Nokia Lumia 800, will be able to take advantage of the services, once the update arrives.

Other major changes coming into force with Apollo include support for multi-core processors and even for removable microSD memory cards, in order to expand storage beyond the fixed levels currently enforced.

In terms of software, it looks like Windows Phone Apollo will be almost identical to Windows 8 when it comes to the features it can run.

Observers have gone so far as to claim that the difference between Windows Phone 7.5/Mango, which is currently available and Windows Phone 8/Apollo will be as marked as it was between Windows Mobile 6.5 back in 2010.

Xbox Live functionality will still be at the core of the next Windows Phone platform, although this time it will be accompanied by a desktop-based application for Windows 8, which allows users to get access to their gaming profile wherever they are and whatever device they are using.

It seems that Microsoft is once more following Apple by making its mobiles as closely related to its desktop computing products as possible. Of course you may remember that when Steve Jobs announced the iPhone back in 2007, he actually said that it was running OS X, prior to the platform being rebranded as the distinct iOS.

While Windows Phone Apollo will share a lot of its roots with the full Windows 8 OS, it seems as though Microsoft will be keen to retain the distinction between its mobile and desktop platforms. It also seems certain that the Metro user interface will remain at the core of the Windows Phone experience even after the upgrade.

What is not certain is whether or not the original batch of Windows Phone 7 handsets, like the Samsung Omnia 7 and HTC 7 Mozart, will be compatible with the Apollo update. Apple has been consistent in making iOS as backwards compatible as possible with each subsequent release and, hopefully, Microsoft will follow suit.