Windows Phone 7 now on sale in the US
Check it Microsofties, it's time to get back into the game. While some phones have already launched in Europe and beyond, today is the first day that you can put down cash in the US for a Windows Phone 7 device all your own.
Context & Ripple Effects
Windows Phone 7 has been moving toward this day since Microsoft's September release-to-manufacturing announcement, with devices shipping in Europe and other markets first. The US debut lands alongside AT&T, whose launch merchandising gets its own close look in syndicated coverage from Mobilized.
The developer angle matters too: Robert Scoble's launch-day writeup points Silicon Valley at early Windows Phone 7 apps like Zagat and Loopt's, arguing there are lessons in how they were built. CNET's same-day launch tally frames this as the moment Microsoft's third-ecosystem bid finally faces US shoppers.
First-order effects
- US buyers can purchase a Windows Phone 7 device for the first time today, converting months of Microsoft manufacturing and carrier preparation into actual sell-through.
- AT&T becomes the visible face of the US launch, with its stores and marketing carrying the burden of introducing a new mobile OS to American consumers.
Second-order effects
- Developers who built launch-window apps such as Zagat's and Loopt's gain a US audience overnight, and their reception will shape whether more studios commit resources to the platform.
- AT&T's early exclusivity-style positioning puts pressure on other US carriers to decide quickly whether to stock Windows Phone 7 hardware or cede the launch narrative.
Third-order effects
- If US uptake validates Microsoft's tightly specified hardware-and-marketplace model, the smartphone market consolidates around platform gatekeepers rather than device makers, with carriers competing on distribution rather than OS differentiation.
The trend: The US launch tests whether a disciplined, carrier-backed third mobile ecosystem can take share from entrenched app-store platforms.