Windows Phone 7 Series won't have copy and paste
By Chris Ziegler 
posted March 16th 2010 5:37PM
posted March 16th 2010 5:37PM
Ready for another long, drawn-out copy and paste controversy to overtake your every waking moment for a year or two? Good: Microsoft just mentioned in a Q&A session here at MIX10 in no uncertain terms that clipboard operations won't be supported on Windows Phone 7 Series... so that's that. Kind of ironic considering that the WinMo of old has been enjoying the functionality since time immemorial, isn't it? Of course, anything is possible going forward -- they've said on several occasions in different talks and sessions this week that they're already looking at a number of enhancements that were scoped out of the initial release of the platform -- but for the phones you buy this holiday season, don't expect to be copying anything between apps.Update: We just super-double-ultra-plus-confirmed this with Microsoft -- Windows Phone 7 Series will not have copy and paste functionality. There is a data-detection service built into the text-handling API that will recognize phone numbers and addresses, but Microsoft says most users, including Office users, don't really need clipboard functionality. We... respectfully disagree? Sure, let's leave it at that.
The hysteria on display here is funny. Do you expect a NEW platform to include every bell and whistle under the sun upon launch?
What can of imbecile would think that MS is trying to "copy Apple's bad points"? Jesus grow a neuron or something.
iPhone 2007 was SEVERELY underfeatured compared to other devices, it took two years to sort of catch up in terms of features. Nonetheless it sold 40 million units because of it excelled at the most important thing for the average user: user-friendliness. Then they added the missing features once the platform was tested, estable and loved. Get it?
@shishi
No, but I DO expect it to have AT LEAST the very same features as its supposed competition on launch. They aren't competing with iPhone 2007, they're competing with iPhone 2010.
@DTJ
You miss my point. iPhone 2007 was competing with Other Phones 2007.... and it lack several HW and SW features standard in other phones. Did it matter? NO. Why? Because it offered something more important in return. More important to at least 40 million people.
So WinPho7 will be missing a feature that few people care about. In exchange it offers a completely new visual and functional user interface. How many people do you think will care about cut & paste vs. a more user-friendly interface? Exactly. It's called BUSINESS.
@shishi
I expect a new platform to have all the features of the same company's previous platform.
Apple: "Yeah, iPhone 3.0, it's got copy and paste but we took out the app store"
Not gonna fly.
Microsoft: "Yeah, Windows 7, we made everything prettier and it runs faster, but you can only use Microsoft applications"
not gonna fly.
Google: "yeah, Android 2.1, it's got a new UI and more advanced software... but you can't send texts any more"
Not gonna fly.
@PhoenixFox
Microsoft is going for a broader audience here, entertainment and social oriented. Only Engadget nerds think lack of cut & paste is a deal breaker. I bet you 90% of iPhone users don't even know it's there or even care about it, never have. It's a clutter feature, which might be or not there eventually. But the suits at Microsoft, who know a thing or two about business, know better I think.
@shishi
Their moves in the mobile market over the last few years makes me think otherwise.
I never felt I needed copy and paste with the iPhone... When it arrived I felt annoyed when it kept popping up...
Windows Phone 7 Series does look amazing, and I'd imagine that certain apps can still do things close to copy and paste, just not with any built-in windows library.
The internet is so depressing; People are getting so lazy.
It's pretty obvious that Android has now become the way to go in 2010 and onward.
Google marches onward to worldwide domination. They should announce a firm partnership with GodTC and own everything smartphone!
Yeah...anyways, HTC Desire here I come.
BREAKING NEWS:Our intrepid reporter gets the initial reaction to this bombshell, from Apple CEO, Steve Jobs: "Lol".
We'll have more later.
I'll take Netflix stream any time over cut & paste, thankyouverymuch. Been a Symbian user for years... never used that feature.
I can now l0l fo sho dizzle yo..
They should rename it Windows Phone 0.7 Series.
In one feature, Microsoft just lost my business. I almost smashed my iPhone so many times not being able to copy/paste text items around the phone.
So much for looking up an address and copy/paste them into an map app.
*sigh*
@Anatidae
adresses and phone numbers throughout the OS are hyperlinked so that you dont have to copy and paste.
lack of copy and paste still sucks... but there are design choices present to make it less critical. i would still like to see it in future releases.
at the end of the day (same as all those people who went for the iphone_ pros outway the cons. solid browsing (from mobile browser of choice), xbox, zune, office, amazing social networking integration, slick (useful) UI and app integration has me sold
@cmwind Yeah, I'll believe that. Sorry, so many websites and emails don't hyperlink addresses. Phone numbers if they follow the right format.. but even the iPhone fails there sometimes.
@Anatidae
If you read what he wrote, you would see he said "adresses and phone numbers throughout the OS are hyperlinked so that you dont have to copy and paste." As in, the OS itself sees a website, or a telephone number, and hyperlinks it. Joe B. already showed that feature at the MWC.
Such a trivial feature isn't going to stop me from getting a phone. I'm sure some enterprising programmer will make a clipboard program, or something.
@maxxorz
Such trivial things.. for me those little things are huge.. turning emails to notes to texts to google searches to google map searches is big.. I dont want to bust out the laptop every time I need to email someone..
@maxxorz
This might not stop me from getting a phone(might is the key word), but when i need to send something in a text or email i need to "copy and paste" it. i do it a couple times a week so is not cool with me.
Fanboys got pwnd! LOLZERZZ
@beckhams777 I hope this is the case. I need more clarity on this one. Slashgear, TechCrunch? What's up?
OOOOOO, good job baller thinking you can get by what apple did. Apple did it because they have a bunch of loyal doods who love getting whipped and shaved off by Mr. Jobs. You on the other hand don't, so before you get the next batch of angry mobs going after yall, put that back in and make sure you do it right.
It's kinda sad how a company with the size and the warchest of MS can do nothing but copy Apple... 5 years late.
It was looking so good....Now, microsoft, you have made decisions oh so much easier.
I give it to microsoft for finally bringing out the tenacity to try and innovate. but all their efforts will be futile once our iphone platform blossoms to 4.0.
Stay Tuned for magical and wonderful additions to our frameworks, sdk and huge monumental improvements to our already fantastic & exceptional device.
-Sent from my iPad-
while there a ton of reason for me to switch from my nexus one to wp7, i gotta say there is a number (and getting larger) of things that are going to keep me with android for a while longer.
btw, has anyone seen confirmation about the fm radio requirement. is it hd radio? or just regular fm/am
RIP Microsoft's mobile division
Along with everyone else in the world who reads this, I too am surprised. However, part of me is like "so what?" Of course, I can't speak for everyone, but honestly.. how many times do most of you use C&P on a PHONE?
Don't get me wrong, I'm a programmer by both hobby and trade, Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V are instinct by now just like Ctrl+Z. My left hand practically rests on those keys.
But on a phone? I remember the long, over-drawn out complaints about the iPhone not having C&P for the longest time. When it came to the iPhone, I tried it out, was like oh cool, and got on with my life. Have I ever used it? Sure.. a select handful of times. It is helpful? Of course it is. Is it a show-stopping feature in a phone? That's your call, but I say no.
Sure, I have a feature-rich "smart" phone. I can play music, look up maps, use the internet, place a call, text message, email, and do whatever hundreds of apps let me do. Copying a blob of text and putting it somewhere else is not a common activity on my phone at all.
The only customer base that I could see using copy and paste heavily would be the 'super busy business crowd', the types with their Blackberry practically attached to their hip always doing something on it or having it close by. Those crowd are never, ever, ever going to be using WinPhone7. It's just not going to happen.
The types that ARE going to be using WinPhone7 will NOT be using C&P enough to make it a breaking feature. Sure, those one or two times that you could use it you may think "oh I wish I had it right now," but big deal.
That's like saying if Shazam (or another song-recognition software) wasn't available for the iPhone you'd be largely inconvenienced. No, you wouldn't. Sure, it would have been nice, but the few times you'd need to use that would be far and few between.
To put it short, copy and paste is a nice FEATURE; however, it is not a very NECESSARY feature on a PHONE. I'm tired of it being blown up to this large scale like as if it really matters. Seems like people making a big deal over nothing just to try and support their current phone. The previous Apple fiasco with this has only made this issue even more ironic -- and annoying.
Honestly, anyone who is copying and pasting
@Master of the Intangible
It's hilarious the amount of people saying this is the feature that has swayed them to not buy a WM7 phone
@pukerocket
Indeed. "Well, streaming Netflix anywhere thanks to Silverlight is awesome, and so is XBox live integration. The new UI looks pretty sweet, and the Marketplace looks like it could be nice... wait... no C&P? FFFFFUUUUUUUU DO NOT WANT ANYMORE!"
Seriously guys...
@to86
Typical Apple fanboy. Self important douche that thinks everything revolves around you.
I really want to go back using a Windows Phone but I love Multitasking and Copy & Paste is a must. Why Microsoft?
I guess I will have to really think hard if I can live without these features...WebOS rules!
One of the unintended consequences of MSFT's WP7 moves will be to push a large segment of the WinMo user base to Android. There's a sizable % of users who won't stand for a dumbed-down smartphone experience. It will be interesting to see how the Engadget staff treat Android when it has 15% market share. Will it be deemed "dying" like WinMo was at the same %?
When I had an android phone I didn't copy/paste once I had it since the G1 came out. This doesn't bother me at all I'm still going to a buy a wp7s phone...
I though I saw the demonstrator accidentally copy and paste in the ie 7/8 demo in the 20 minute video on msdn.
I think this just negated everything good about this phone OS...
Word to future builders of any sort of OS... start with copy and paste and build features on top of that...
@ebrentnelson
Just so you know, you sound like a prick when you say that.
Just thought you should know.
That does it, I can forgive no multitasking, inability to install apps outside of marketplace rubbed me the wrong way, but, WTF, what is this, iphone 1.0?!?!?!?!
all I can say is...
WTF!?
No multitasking, no app side loading, and now no copy paste? What is the actual point of this platform?
hrrrmmm...Ok what is this 2007? iPhone not having cut/paste coming out, I can understand. It's basically an ipod touch with phone, so I'm sure Jobs wasn't thinking twice about a feature like that back then..
But MS has been in the phone biz for a while now, yet they're introducing a brand new phone OS, and stripping out the basics that made it what is today?
What's their stock looking like now?
@CHICHIgetdaYAYO MSFT: 29.37 +0.08 (0.27%)
I'm personally pretty angry about this decision as well, but suggesting that it would affect the stock of a well established company like Microsoft is hilarious.
@Delta
Cause after the iPad announcement and the disappointment to shareholders, the stock dipped for about 2 1/2 hrs..I bought low and resold them for enough to buy more tech crap I dont need :p
Hoping the same for MS when mainstream media get hold of the news about WP7S..buy low, sell high baby..
Wow, they really are following in the iPhone's old footsteps with this and no multitasking. Next thing you know there won't be any MMS either. So if iPhone OS 4.0 comes out with multitasking, where will that leave WP7S?
Seriously. After all the trash I talked about the iphone not having copy & paste I would be the biggest hypocrite ever to by a windows phone without it. That's just pathetic Microsoft.
I use cut more often than paste.
LMAO
Eh. I'm still getting this phone.
So incredibly ironic and typical. Feels like the've just reached their iPhone OS 1.0 ... Many problems still await. If your going to reinvent yourself. Reinvent yourself properly.
So incredibly ironic and typical. Feels like the've just reached their iPhone OS 1.0 ... Many problems still await. If your going to reinvent yourself. Reinvent yourself properly.
That's disappointing.