You know, you should KNOW which IOS version is the highest version the previous IOS device can support and especially for the specs of that device and the higher system requirements for the future OSes. This may be the same for Windows Phone series devices in which Windows Phone 7 can be upgraded to 7.5 which is the highest version for Windows Phone 7 series devices due to the difference of the kernels between Windows Phone 7 and 8.
For Windows Phone 8 to 8.1, how can the upgrade process work? Will Windows Phone 8.1 still be based on Windows 8 kernel or perhaps Windows 8.1 kernel?