Confirmed: HTC HD2 will not be upgraded to Windows Phone 7 series
Bad news, HTC HD2 owners: Microsoft has finally come right out and confirmed our suspicions that the mighty HTC HD2 won't be upgraded to Windows Phone 7 Series. Joe Belfiore just told us that the HD2 is …
Context & Ripple Effects
Microsoft had already set a broad compatibility boundary by saying that Windows Mobile 6.x phones would not receive Windows Phone 7, and the HD2 confirmation applies that policy to HTC’s flagship device. That matters particularly because T-Mobile held U.S. exclusivity for the HD2, leaving its buyers with a high-profile handset outside Microsoft’s next software generation.
First-order effects
- HTC HD2 owners must remain on the handset’s existing Windows Mobile software rather than receive Windows Phone 7 Series, while Microsoft’s new platform begins without that installed base.
- T-Mobile’s exclusive HD2 offer no longer provides a route into Windows Phone 7 Series for customers who bought the device.
Second-order effects
- HTC and T-Mobile must treat Windows Phone 7 Series as a new-device sale rather than an upgrade opportunity for HD2 owners, raising the importance of launching compatible hardware.
- Microsoft can enforce a cleaner hardware and software baseline for Windows Phone 7 Series, but gives up an immediate migration path for Windows Mobile 6.x users.
Third-order effects
- The decision signals a platform-reset model in which major mobile OS transitions are tied to new hardware generations, shifting upgrade risk from the software vendor to handset buyers and carriers.
- If Microsoft maintains that boundary, handset makers’ competitiveness in the new platform will depend more on their Windows Phone 7 launch portfolio than on their Windows Mobile installed base.
The trend: Windows Phone 7 Series is being positioned as a clean-break mobile platform, with compatibility rules favoring new certified devices over upgrades from Windows Mobile 6.x.