Rumors of a ‘massive’ Windows Phone 7 January update are greatly exaggerated

By Tom Warren, on 2nd Dec 10 3:30 pm with 8 Comments

Rumors have surfaced that Microsoft is planning a “massive” update for Windows Phone 7 in January.

Chris Walsh, one of the developers of ChevronWP7, began hinting at a big update for Windows Phone 7 on Twitter earlier this week. “I’m hearing the first WP7 update is going to be MASSIVE” said Walsh. He later added “they could have called it Windows Phone 8.”

Ina Fried over at All Things Digital’s Mobilized has called Walsh out and suggested that the update is “no iPhone killer”. Fried confirms that the biggest key feature will be copy and paste, as promised, and CDMA support. Microsoft is expected to announce a number of new Sprint and Verizon based Windows Phone 7 devices at the Consumer Electronics show in early January.

Microsoft is officially saying that the update is due in early 2011 but WinRumors understands Microsoft officials will detail the upcoming changes at CES. Windows Phone 7 is a key part of Microsoft’s long term mobile strategy and we expect the software giant to promise tethering, copy and paste, map improvements and a basic implementation of multi-tasking for third party applications. Microsoft will also make a number of changes to device settings to allow for further customisation by end users.

Microsoft’s first WP7 update will be welcomed by many who critiqued it for a lack of features. Don’t get your hopes up that everything will be fixed but rest assured Microsoft will be issuing regular updates throughout next year.

  • Anonymous

    When they said they can call it Windows Phone 8 i understand that there would be a whole new look since its so massive, and you can’t call Copy and paste massive?

    • Calum

      And it’s not like Apple upped the version number when the only major features they’d added were copy/paste and multi-tasking…

    • Anonymous

      Windows 7 had many updates, its not called windows 22 because of the updates

  • GP007

    Adding just C&P in one update doesn’t make much sense really. I think it’ll have a number of things, how massive or not it really is is up for debate at this point. We’ll just have to wait till january and see.

  • Calum

    “[...] Don’t get your hopes up that everything will be fixed [...]”

    What’s broken?

  • Anonymous

    “we expect the software giant to promise tethering, copy and paste, map improvements and a basic implementation of multi-tasking for third party applications. Microsoft will also make a number of changes to device settings to allow for further customisation by end users”

    Ummm I’d call that “massive”. That’s pretty much every complaint about the platform.

  • http://twitter.com/blackofe Alex

    tethering promised is a good news. it’s more, than i was waiting from the first update.

  • Luke

    I would assume they would add, limited multi-tasking, Twitter integration, copy-paste, tethering, map improvements and extra user customization options. In my opinion that would be quite a large first update for the platform and it would address most of the issues raised in reviews etc.