Microsoft delivers pre-release build of Mango to developers … After RTMing the product?

So with Windows Phone 7.5 “Mango” completed and sent to manufacturing, and Microsoft subsequently announcing a new build of Mango for developers, you might be forgiven for believing that Microsoft is, in fact, providing the RTM version of Mango to developers.

But they’re not.

As Cliff Simpkins explains in a blog post, that’s because the pre-release build we are now getting (build 7712) corresponds to the Windows Phone SDK 7.1 “Beta 2 Refresh” that’s also being released today. So it all makes perfect sense. :)

The process to update your phone with build 7712 is pretty straight-forward:

1. Make a copy of the backup you took when you updated to the Mango Beta 2 pre-release (which I’m sure you did) and put it in a safe place, if it isn’t in one already
2. Return to Connect.Microsoft.com (we’re using the same program you were invited to join last month) and download the freshly posted files, which includes a new Zune client and a new UpdateWP executable
3. Head to the Control Panel and uninstall the Beta 2 software (Zune client and UpdateWP) and tools (WPSDK) that you installed last month
4. Install the new software and tools that you just downloaded from Connect
5. Fire up the new Zune client beta (4.8.2134.0) to check for the new update
6. Zune will then update your phone from 7661 to 7712

For those who may be inspired by this release and update their phone for the first time, you’ll notice a much more streamlined experience from the one we rolled out last month. Based on the feedback (and support tickets) from developers participating in the program, the process has been improved in two places. First, we’ve updated the server logic in the first update (739x -> 7401) to better account for ‘Walshed’ phones and phones that had the support tool run incorrectly on them. Second, the Zune client has been updated to link your updates into a single update run. The new Zune client automatically checks for new updates after it completes an update – meaning you only need to start the update process once and Zune handles the rest until you arrive at your final destination build (in this case, 7712).

Looks like I’ll be busy again today. :)