Windows Phone 8, Microsoft’s latest attempt to snag a chunk of the smartphone market, launched across the U.S. in November. That gave Windows Phone a boost during the holiday season that saw the Lumia 920 selling through a few million devices. It looks like Microsoft wants to recreate that mild success with a similar launch for the next iteration.

In a job listing for a software development engineer, Microsoft hints that its next Windows Phone platform will be launching this holiday season. Here’s the relevant sentence:

This is a great time to join as we’re completing our current release are getting ready for our next release targeting the holiday of this year and we’re chartered with keeping the momentum for Windows Phone by bringing new killer devices and delightful user experiences.

Of course, Microsoft isn’t outright saying what its next Windows Phone platform is. Next release could mean an incremental update to Windows Phone 8, or it could mean the rumored Windows Blue platform that will also reportedly come to Windows Phone.

If it is Windows Blue, it might be the start of the rumored annual release cycle for all Windows products. It would make Microsoft more like pretty much every other player in the industry as it tries to keep up with the fast pace of the mobile device industry. it remains to be seen if Microsoft’s hardware partners – Samsung, Nokia and HTC – will keep up with this new strategy, especially as Samsung and HTC are now focusing on flagship Android product launches this year.

[h/t: Mashable]