Microsoft Delays Windows Phone 7 Update

Microsoft is delaying updates to Windows Phone 7 citing compatibility problems with new phones, a stumble that could slow the company's progress in the smartphone market.

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Originally scheduled for January, head of the Windows Phone 7 program Joe Belfiore apologized for the delays at a software developer conference on Wednesday.
"We felt it would be better to be a little bit patient, make sure that when we get updates out that they would happen reliably, and unfortunately that caused a delay in getting things out," he said.
The update will add cut-and-paste functionality but not the ability to run multiple apps at the same time, called multitasking -- features already present in Apple's iOS and Google's Android.
That will have to wait for the next update, called "Mango," which is expected in the fall. It will offer at least partial multitasking, including the ability to listen to music while running another app. It will also feature Skype and music streaming service Spotify. Microsoft will also give developers deeper access to Mango, enabling more capable apps.
The delays will not do Microsoft's new mobile platform any favors, which has failed to make a splash in the larger market since its release last fall. It holds an estimated 5 percent of the U.S. smartphone market, while the top three platforms, Android, iOS and BlackBerry, command close to 30 percent each.
Microsoft's alliance with Nokia that will see Windows Phone on the Finnish company's devices could begin a serious rally for the platform, but it won't happen until next year. The platform's appearance on a much larger number of devices may prompt the company to roll out improvements faster to take advantage of the scale, but any potential issues would also have larger ripple effects.
In the meantime, delays in rolling out basic functions like cut-and-paste that should have really been included at launch are not going to help the OS get traction.