Skip to main content

Microsoft apologizes for Windows Phone update mess

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Microsoft’s first update to Windows Phone 7 devices has not gone smoothly. First it was delayed several times, then a preliminary patch began bricking some phones, and now many users still haven’t received the promised upgrade, which will allow copying/pasting on WP7 devices, among other things. The problem has gotten so bad that Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore has apologized for the mess in a comment on Microsoft’s developer site, reports Ina Fried.

“Many of you are making critical comments here which are certainly fair,” wites Belfiore. “First, I was wrong when I said  “most people have received the February update.” There are many of you who have yet to receive it, and I don’t blame you for speaking up and pointing out my mistake. Second, I referred to our updates as “complete” because I was thinking of the internal process where we pass completed software to another group who delivers them – but of course no update is complete until you all have it.  Plus, at the time I did the interview we had started the NoDo (“march update”) delivery process and I knew “it was going well” from our perspective:  people were officially getting it, the success rate of its deployment on real-world phones was looking good, and we were happy that the process had STARTED well.  Still—these are NOT the same as all of you getting it and I’m sorry that I came across as insensitive to that fact.”

Belfiore goes on to agree with users that Microsoft has been too quiet and vague on what is in updates, when they are coming, and addressing problems. Top Windows commentators, like Paul Thurrot, have been openly upset about Microsoft’s lack of communication on updates since Windows Phone launched in Nov. 2010. Thurrot, who author an ongoing guide to Windows Phone, claims that Microsoft is hurting itself immensely by not updating its OS or even revealing a full list of features coming in the March “NoDo” update.

Do you have a Windows Phone? If so, did you get the update?

Editors' Recommendations

Jeffrey Van Camp
Former Digital Trends Contributor
As DT's Deputy Editor, Jeff helps oversee editorial operations at Digital Trends. Previously, he ran the site's…
Google Maps directed man to drive off collapsed bridge, lawsuit claims
google maps changed history 15th anniversary 3 of 6

Google has been accused of negligence after a man drove off a broken bridge while allegedly following directions on Google Maps.

Philip Paxson drowned after the Jeep Gladiator he was driving fell about 20 feet (6.1 meters) and landed upside down in a river in Hickory, North Carolina, about 60 miles northwest of Charlotte.

Read more
You’ve never seen a folding flip phone with a screen like this
The Tecno Phantom V Flip, with other folding phones.

Who says cover screens have to be square or oblong? Tecno has announced the Tecno Phantom V Flip folding phone, and we haven't seen a cover screen like it before — at least, not on a smartphone.

Tecno has put what looks like a smartwatch on the front of its flip phone, and it’s one of the most unusual designs we’ve seen on a foldable yet.
A cover screen unlike anything else

Read more
I’ve had the iPhone 15 Pro Max for 48 hours. Here are 3 things you need to know
Someone holding the Natural Titanium iPhone 15 Pro Max.

It's finally here, folks: new iPhone season. Apple's iPhone 15 event wrapped up over a week ago, the first iPhone 15 reviews are trickling out, and it won't be that long before you start seeing the new lineup in every Best Buy and Target you go to.

My iPhone 15 Pro Max arrived on September 20, and at the time of publishing this, I've been using it for just about 48 hours. That's obviously not enough time for a full review, but during that limited amount of time, I've already learned some really important things about Apple's latest entry in the Pro Max family. It's very familiar in a lot of ways, but there are three specific changes that could make it a more worthwhile upgrade than expected — and I'm not talking about USB-C.
Titanium is a game-changer for the iPhone

Read more