Windows Phone 8–Installing apps did not mean installing apps on the microSD card

During Microsoft’s Windows Phone Summit Microsoft revealed that the OS will support removable memory cards which supports hosting Photos, Music, Videos and Installing apps.

Microsoft also later revealed that the card will be NTFS formatted and will support being removed and read on other systems.

Now CNET reports via the TechEd 2012 event that in fact Installing Apps does not mean the ability to install applications to the memory card, but rather to install applications from the memory card, for example in an enterprise setting for sideloading applications.

While this will be a nifty feature if available to the general consumer, it does in fact mean Windows Phone 8 users will still need to keep an eye on the built-in storage in the Windows Phone 8 handsets they buy, as a few large applications could easily swamp a 4 GB device for example.

Of course hosting applications on a MicroSD card is very risky in itself, with the possibility of the card being removed for running applications, and the higher risk of corruption, not to mention piracy and hacking, so the move makes sense. I think however Microsoft would have been better off leaving off that last point from their slide.

Read more at CNET Asia here.