It’s no secret that Sprint is less than the biggest Windows Phone fan around. Its lineup has always been tiny, with only the HTC Arrive available as an option, and statements from company execs made it clear that it wasn’t happy with the platform Microsoft came up with. It now looks like the Windows Phone 7 chapter of Sprint’s story may be officially over, upon the carrier withdrawing the Arrive from online sales.

Currently, the only Windows model offered by the carrier is an ancient Windows Mobile ruggedized handset. You might have some luck getting your hands on the Arrive (hardly a spring chicken, itself) via phone or in a retail store, but we don’t have high hopes that it will ever be returning to Sprint’s online selection.

Considering that we’ve heard that Sprint may not have a Windows Phone 8 launch device, we could be looking at an extended spell before the platform makes a return to the carrier. If Windows Phone 8 does well elsewhere, we assume that Sprint will eventually come around to things; if WP8 struggles to find acceptance, though, Sprint might just continue to be a Windows Phone no-man’s-land.

Source: WMPoweruser