Now that Microsoft has officially launched its Windows Phone 7 operating system, we should start seeing mobile phones from HTC, LG, Samsung and Dell hit the streets later this month. But it looks like that’s all we’ll see, because Microsoft has consistently stated that the OS is designed for phones and not slate computers.
ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley decided to check in and see if there was any change in that stance, and the answer is no. In fact, Microsoft is insisting that Windows Phone 7 shouldn’t run on any devices with screens larger than about 4 inches. Phones with 4.3 inch displays seem to be all the rage these days, and it sounds like that may be the upper limit for WP7.
That means if companies want a Microsoft experience on a tablet, they’re going to have to install Windows 7 or Windows Compact Embedded.