The more I read about Microsoft’s upcoming Windows Phone 7, the more I think senior staff at the company should cut down on the gin. For being utterly drunk is the only explanation other than outright incompetence regarding the direction of its mobile platform.

In tried and tested Microsoft fashion, Redmond has got its photocopier out, and is creating its own iPhone. The only problem is that Microsoft appears to be copying Apple circa 2009, hence its decision to omit copy and paste from Windows Phone 7 (source: Engadget).

Microsoft’s reasoning is that most users don’t really need clipboard functionality. Most users don’t “really need” Windows Phone 7 either, so maybe Microsoft should just cancel the whole thing and buy Palm.

The Guardian reports that the BBC’s planning to reinvent its digital radio output around extensions to existing radio networks. In essence, it’s going to kill 6 Music—generally regarded as one of the finest digital stations, and perfectly in line with the BBC’s public service remit—and use the cash to extend 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

One exec was quoted as saying: “Just like the Xtra Factor goes backstage and tells you what happened at the X Factor, so Radio 2 could have spin-off digital shows with extra coverage from Glastonbury or the Electric Proms”. And this pretty much proves that once again the BBC doesn’t understand what it has, nor what it really needs to offer. 6 provides music you can’t get elsewhere, not extensions of existing coverage. And it’s hardly like existing extensions are working well anyway, with Radio 1Xtra’s Tim Westwood once famously stating that his audience share was so low that he’d been broadcasting to “absolutely nobody for the last three hours,” saying this was “soul-destroying”.

But the BBC seems to want to blunder on regardless, removing its one real piece of exciting and innovative radio and replacing it with ‘more of the same’. This is like the music industry closing every indie label but providing extra Top 40 play, and it’s just not acceptable.

If you’re a fan of 6 Music or independent, innovative music in general, email the BBC now.

“You can not update this software since you have not owned the major version of this software”

A year ago, I asked: when will the App Store learn to count? This question came from me getting App Store update notifications in iTunes and on updating ‘everything’ discovering that updates were still available. In the end, I tracked this down to there being multiple accounts on my machine—in order to see the updates for each account, I had to sign into the account, select Applications from the Library sidebar, and click ‘Check for updates’ at the foot of the Applications page.

For Apple, this is a pretty cumbersome process, but then a lot of things relating to iPhone and iPod touch sync are utterly dire from a UI standpoint (not least the dreadful Applications and Films tabs when you’re managing content on your device). However, I should have kept my mouth shut, because things just got a whole lot worse.

As of iTunes 9.0.3 (at least in my case), all ‘free updates’ for apps are now listed on a single page, but iTunes isn’t intelligent enough to figure out which accounts the apps come from. Therefore, ‘Download All Free Updates’ now cheerfully tells you ‘You can not update this software since you have not owned the major version of this software’ (nice copywriting, Apple). iTunes doesn’t bother saying which apps the dialog relates to, and so you have to click ‘Get Update’ on each individual app, to see if iTunes will enable you to download an update.

Presumably, Apple’s made this change to discourage multiple iTunes accounts on single machines. In my case, I have a US App Store account to redeem promotion codes so I can review apps and therefore promote them and the App Store. For reasons unknown, Apple has yet to realise that people outside of the US might like to have access to promo codes. However, plenty of other people use one Mac with several accounts, and so this change will trip them up, too.

So: well done, Apple. I’m hoping this is a bug, rather than a deliberate decision, but given Apple’s recent history on bizarre decisions relating to the App Store, it probably isn’t.

Thanks, Apple, for not noting which of my dozens of app updates I’ve ‘not owned the major version’ of. Also: sack your copywriter and whoever made this dialog.

Now the snappily named Windows Phone Series 7 has been revealed, it’s fisticuffs at dawn between Microsoft and Apple. Well, between Microsoft and a cardboard cut-out of Apple, because no words are coming from Cupertino (bar Steve Jobs bitching about Flash every few minutes), but Microsoft’s taking swipes at iPhone at every opportunity.

The latest snipe regarding gaming comes from Oded Ran, head of consumer marketing for Windows phone in the UK. “It’s not about whether you have 6,000 different arcade puzzle games in a specific category on your app store,” he says. “It’s about how good they are—it’s not about the number, it’s about the quality.” (Source: Mobile Entertainment.)

To be fair, I agree. Quality over quantity is always the best way to go (although I’d argue the App Store offers both to gamers), but here’s the thing: for years, Microsoft has taken the exact opposite stance regarding Apple. Windows, it’s said, is better than Mac OS because it has more apps, more devs, more support (and more exciting viruses—oho!), but now Microsoft’s in the minority, it’s playing the ‘we only care about quality’ game. Right. And I’m sure Microsoft wouldn’t change its tune at all if someone could somehow magic 10,000 games for its upcoming platform out of thin air while simultaneously deleting 99% of Apple’s App Store content.

MacRumors reports that HP execs are to soon meet for discussion regarding pricing and features on the company’s upcoming iPadalike. If the Wall Street Journal is to be believed, HP’s cunning plan is to provide something “similar to the iPad in size and features” but to undercut the Apple device’s price.

Well done, HP—you’ve learned nothing. After all, hardware-oriented willy waving and low price-points worked out so well for you in the PC industry, didn’t they?