Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 Update Delayed

Microsoft has delayed its so-called NoDo update a few weeks while it makes sure it meets internal standards. The delay should only be a week or two though.The Microsoft Windows Phone Blog had this to say about the delay:

Now, if you read between the lines, I think that means they weren't entirely happy with the way the February update went. After all, there are some that still do not have it and after two tries, the Windows Phone 7 devices made by Samsung continue to have some issues during the update process.

Now, I don't want to appear cynical, but the statement by Microsoft seems to be more marketing than actual information. I read this and immediately thought of the statement the TSA made after finding out that some of the body image scanners are emitting as much as ten times the amount of radiation as is expected. Even though the TSA says they are still safe, they are retesting the machines out of "an abundance of caution to reassure the public."

Microsoft has got to this process into gear. Updates drive the platform. Gone are the days (if they ever existed) where a smartphone could be released and never updated. Today, people expect refreshes at least once or twice a year for a year or two. Apple has had three large updates since the iPhone 4 was launched in the summer of 2010, and to my knowledge, they have all been smooth. In fact, I believe all of the updates for iPhones have gone smoothly since the iPhone was launched in 2007.

When Apple updates its products like the iPhone and iPad, it does so with biblical power and authority.

Microsoft's update process is a bit less certain. It reminds me less of Genesis and more of Star Wars where Lando Calrissian is flying the Millennium Flacon trying to evade the Empire. Chewbacca engages the hyperdrive and you hear it rapidly spool up and then wind down. There is a look of shock and surprise on Lando's face and he exclaims "They told me they fixed it! I trusted them to fix it! It's not my fault!" Well, that is a bit of an exaggeration. Microsoft fully owns up to managing the processes even though it still has to rely on carriers to initiate the upgrade for the consumer, something Apple bypasses entirely. Steve Ballmer said at Mobile World Congress that the update would be in the first half of March. Yes, the delay is only for a few weeks, but with no updates since the platform launched in October, the company looks like it is sitting still. That is not a good place to be when you already so far behind in the smartphone game.