Speaking to Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Verizon representative Brenda Raney has confirmed that the carrier will not initially offer devices based on Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 operating system in October, with no plans to launch such devices at any point during the remainder of the year. The carrier does plan support the new platform in 2011 and offer at least one device based on it during the year.
However, the aborted launch of Verizon and Microsoft’s venture in the Kin earlier this year after months of development may have done more to influence the decision to not release a Windows Phone 7 device at launch, as the Kin devices and platform were discontinued just two months into the lifecycle due to lower than expected sales spurred by criticism of missing features and data plan pricing.
While Microsoft has courted AT&T as its launch partner for Windows Phone 7 in the US, Verizon does have the advantage in terms of marketing and consumer perception, key points Microsoft would greatly benefit from considering the issues faced by Windows Phone 7 regarding consumer and corporate support. Despite those issues, Raney emphasizes that the carrier’s relationship with Microsoft “is solid†and the comments follow Microsoft’s increasingly visible push for Windows Phone 7, with the latest news in finalized development tools ahead of the platform’s October launch coming earlier today.
