Windows Phone 7 shortages reported

Retailer Orange is reportedly facing a shortage of Windows Phone 7 phones. In other news, Microsoft gives each and everyone of its 89,000 employees a handset running the new operating system…

While Microsoft employees celebrate, customers who pre-ordered through Orange are being told that there are no Windows Phone 7 handsets left in stock.

Apparently  Orange staff have had to resort to giving out £20 HMV vouchers to placate angry preorders and other retailers are reportedly facing similar shortages.

Microsoft’s UK mobile business group director Alex Reeve told Mobile Today: ‘Together with our partners, we began selling the first phones with Windows Phone 7 in Europe and Asia-Pacific on 21 October. We had some challenges with retail stock in the first few days, but it is now flowing much more freely.’

When Which? trudged around London’s Oxford St on Windows Phone 7′s launch day we also found it rather hard to track down a handset.