Windows Phone 7, Microsoft’s mobile operating system aimed at taking down Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, is set to receive its first major operating system update – as soon as all devices have been updated to “improve the update process itself”.
Microsoft say this new code version for WP7 is important, as it enables delivery of the larger software update expected in the next few month, which will bring such advanced features as copy and paste. “So while it might not sound exciting, it’s still important because it’s paving the way for all future goodie-filled updates to your phone, such as copy and paste or improved Marketplace search” writes Michael Stroh of the WP7 team.
Microsoft haven’t been doing so well on the software releases recently. A couple of surprise breaking changes in software releases, and then the incident where they signed Visual Studio plugins with the wrong certificates, breaking their updates, have left developers with sour tastes in their mouths.
The roll-out of the update is staged to allow them to get it right – it is the first after all. Google has adopted a similar strategy with Android updates (which can be delivered over the air, unlike iOS and WP7 updates which require a PC), and there were numerous problems with early iPhone software updates as everyone tried to download them at once.
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