Windows Phone forgets how to copy and paste: From the CNET article above:

“We [Microsoft] don’t enable copy and paste and we do that very intentionally,” Windows Phone executive Todd Brix said in an interview.

Brix said many times when a user copies something on a phone, what they really are looking to do is take a specific action, such as calling a phone number or e-mailing an address. For those specific tasks, Microsoft has what it calls “smart linking,” which lets a user double click on a phone number and either call it or add it to the phone book. For an address, one can get a map without having to copy and paste the address.

“It’s actually an intentional design decision,” he said. “We try to anticipate what the user wants so copy and paste isn’t necessary.”

Wow, it’s a good thing Microsoft knows what users want better than they do. If only iPhone and Android users were so lucky. But wait, isn’t Windows Mobile beginning to rapidly lose market share to Android and iPhone?

But seriously, this is just more evidence why Win mobile is slipping. In particular, look at younger generations. I suspect very few people would make the independent (i.e. non-work) choice to use Windows mobile over an iPhone, Droid, or Blackberry. For younger generations, these other options are their first choice. For them, “Windows” is the OS their parents use at work and constantly complain about.

I think MS is currently facing a very a critical point in their development. Mobile technology adoption rates are very high. If mobile is the future, and if mobile devices ultimately converge with conventional desktops, where does that leave MS? If MS is to survive, they need to transform into a company that exudes innovation like Apple or Google. Right now, that’s not happening.

It will be very risky for MS to continue being “all business” in a world where business and personal blur together more everyday.