Microsoft has failed on its promises in delivering a Windows Phone update to the masses. The company realized the snafu when customers wrote in complaining that they had not received their update when commentary from Microsoft seemed to dictate otherwise.
Joe Belfiore, vice president of Windows Phone program management, made an error in a televised interview, stating that “most people have received the February update.”
Contrary to this, there were customers writing complaints galore, citing that, no, we have not received the update (via AllThingsD).
“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,” said Belfiore in the comments on the post.
The latest update includes a copy and paste feature, as well as performance updates and improvements to the Marketplace for buying apps.
Eric Huatala, general manager of customer experience engineering for Microsoft, also wrote an explanation on the Windows Phone Blog, recognizing the fact that the vague timeframe of when the updates were being rolled out was no good answer for customers and that, no, a concrete timeframe is not an odd request.
To answer customers’ concerns, Huatala wrote “…we’ve created a new online resource called Where’s my phone update? that provides some insight into where we are, and where your phone is, in the multi-stage update process.”
After covering the successes of the first Windows Phone 7 update in February and details on how an update is rolled out, Hautala said the company could learn something from the failings.
"I’ve decided to take some extra time to ensure the update process meets our standards, your standards, and the standards of our partners."
The Windows Phone 7 update bricked Samsung Omnia 7 devices, leaving a trail of disgruntled customers.
Microsoft stated that the current delay will not delay what the market generally calls the ‘Mango’ update to WP7, which will contain, among other things, Internet Explorer 9 Mobile.
Michelle Amodio is a TechZone360 contributor. She has helped promote companies and groups in all industries, from technology to banking to professional roller derby. She holds a bachelor's degree in Writing from Endicott College and currently works in marketing, journalism, and public relations as a freelancer.Edited by
Jennifer Russell
