Well, it looks like Microsoft Windows Phone 7 devices won’t be able to tether after all. This leaves the upcoming platform another step behind Android and iPhone, which can turn handsets into mobile modems.
“Windows Phone 7 does not support tethering,” Microsoft said in a statement.
This is a quick turnaround from yesterday, when a Windows Phone 7 team member told the TWiT network that the Microsoft platform would support tethering with carrier approval. I guess he was speaking out of turn though, as Microsoft’s statement doesn’t leave much doubt.
This is probably not a fatal blow for Microsoft Windows Phone 7 but it is a disappointment for some. Why doesn’t it support this feature? I’m sure that it’s just a matter of time and resources.
When the Apple iPhone and Android first came out, these platforms didn’t support native tethering out of the gates either. Sure, there were apps which enabled this but it took multiple software revisions before tethering became part of the platform.
From everything we’ve seen with Windows Phone 7, the platform looks like a solid competitor. I’m a big fan of the user interface and the hardware requirements mean the handsets will have the horsepower to go against the other high-end devices.
But will a “good enough” Windows Phone 7 be good enough when you have very mature competitors like the iPhone and Android? Windows Phone 7 will be lacking copy and paste out of the gates and the multitasking system will be somewhat limited.
To its credit, Microsoft understands that it can only do so many things at once and it seems to have focused on a good user experience and a solid foundation to build upon. It also has invested in its app ecosystem and this appears to be paying off because Windows Phone 7 will launch with high-profile programs from Netflix, Yelp and others.
Does the lack of tethering change your mind about Microsoft upcoming OS?