Haunted by the specter of bricked smartphones, Microsoft has delayed the Windows Phone 7 update that adds copy-and-paste functionality.
Microsoft General Manager Eric Hautala delivered the news on the Windows Phone Blog. The delay is necessary, he said, "to ensure the update process meets our standards, your standards, and the standards of our partners." The copy and paste update, originally scheduled for early March, will instead roll out in the latter half of the month.
This is the second Windows Phone 7 update snag that Microsoft has endured in as many months. In February, Microsoft had to halt an update due to a glitch that bricked a small percentage of Samsung phones.
Now, Microsoft is playing it safe in hopes of avoiding more problems. Although the next update is "waiting in the wings... I believe it's important that we learn all we can from the February update," Huatala said.
The update issues are somewhat embarrassing for Microsoft, but neither of them are going to hurt Windows Phone 7 in the long run. The platform is less than a half a year old, and I don't think a lot of consumers are paying close attention. The important thing for Microsoft is to get Windows Phone 7 up to par with the iPhone and Android so that it's worth paying attention to in the first place.
Along that line, Huatala said Microsoft is still on schedule for a more significant update later this year. It will add multitasking, HTML5 support in the Web browser, Twitter integration and the SkyDrive online storage service. If Microsoft can get those features onto new Windows Phone 7 handsets in time for the holiday shopping season, the company's recent update woes will prove forgettable.
Jared Newman is a Los Angeles-based blogger and journalist. Say hello on Twitter and also follow Today @ PCWorld.