So far, very little is known about Windows Mobile 7. A bunch of UI mock-ups leaked out a few months ago, but the OS was never heard of since. CNET’s Ina Fried now resurrects the corpse, only to kill it off again – she claims that the operating system has been delayed by half a year.

Originally, rumors have stated that the OS would hit licensees desks by “early next year”. An insider source now told Ina that Microsoft had to inform its partners about a delay – the OS is now expected to hit their desk H2 2009!

As licensees usually need at least half a year (rather: one year) in order to produce devices, this means that it’s unlikely that we will see native WM7 devices before 2010. Microsoft itself has denied the rumors, and has instead stated:

… other improvements are expected to debut sooner, most notably an improved browser that brings the rendering engine of Internet Explorer 6 onto Windows Mobile. That update, still expected this year, should pave the way for Windows Mobile phones to display rich Web pages, including those that are home to Flash content and Ajax applications.

… In addition, a number of carriers and handset makers have been working with Microsoft to add new touch interfaces and other features, separate from Microsoft’s operating system updates. …

“Customers don’t have to sit back and wait,” Rockfeld said. “There’s tons of stuff coming from us and our partners.”

What do you think?


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