While Verizon remains committed to releasing a Windows Phone 7 (WP7) device in the future, their time frame has become clearer. The largest US mobile provider will not be offering any WP7 handsets this year, putting a damper on Microsoft’s hope for a big launch.
As BusinessWeek noted, a phone does not have to be on Verizon to succeed as evinced by the iPhone. However, for a new, largley untested platform like WP7 it is best to be in as many places as possible from the get go.
Verizon downplayed any possible strain between themselves and Redmond: “our relationship with Microsoft is solid.”
Microsoft has shed nearly half their mobile market share in the last year. The company now controls a mere 5% of the market. Windows Phone 7 is Microsoft’s play to salvage its share of the pie, and it will now be doing it without ‘Big Red’ for the entire holiday season.
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You can see our previous coverage of Windows Phone 7 here.
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