Microsoft delays Windows Phone launch in China until next year
Next week will mark the one-year anniversary of Microsoft's declaration that Windows Phone 7 would come to China during the second half of 2011, but the company has officially stated that it's not going to make the December 31st deadline. Instead, phones with the OS are now expected to hit the nation sometime in the first half of 2012. Microsoft mentioned that the delay is at least in part due to trying to ensure that Chinese citizens will have a good experience using the platform (Nokia mentioned that localization is needed in certain aspects of its phones to keep in line with the government's media censorship policy); it wouldn't come as much of a surprise if we see the first batch of phones -- likely to be made by Nokia, Huawei and / or ZTE, at least -- come with a fresh install of Windows Phone Tango on them, but that's mere speculation for now.
