AT&T tells Samsung Focus customers
We'd put forth the theory that Microsoft and Samsung would eventually certify microSD cards specifically for use with Windows Phone 7 devices after they finally came …
Context & Ripple Effects
AT&T entered launch week having positioned itself as Microsoft's 'premier' Windows Phone 7 carrier back in July, so any hardware caveat on its lead device lands squarely on the flagship partnership. The notice to Samsung Focus owners comes just days after the November 8 US shelf debut — and one day after Engadget found USB tethering hidden in Samsung's firmware, part of a pattern of launch-window gaps between what the hardware contains and what customers may actually use.
First-order effects
- Samsung Focus buyers on AT&T face immediate uncertainty over expandable storage: the slot exists on the device, but the carrier is telling customers to hold off pending guidance.
- AT&T absorbs the customer-service burden for a Microsoft-Samsung hardware decision, testing how much friction its 'premier vendor' role will tolerate in launch month.
Second-order effects
- If Microsoft and Samsung do certify specific cards — a theory floated but still unconfirmed — a small aftermarket of 'Windows Phone 7 approved' microSD cards opens up, shifting accessory revenue toward whichever vendors pass the test.
- Android handsets advertising plug-and-play microSD expansion gain a ready-made comparison point against WP7 devices whose slots are effectively disabled until certification.
Third-order effects
- A certification program would formalize Microsoft's tightly controlled hardware model for Windows Phone 7 — carriers and OEMs deferring to Redmond on even commodity components like memory cards — a structural contrast with Android's laissez-faire approach to removable storage.
The trend: Windows Phone 7's launch is exposing the trade-offs of Microsoft's vertically disciplined hardware requirements, where even a standard microSD slot waits on platform-holder approval.