Only 40,000 Windows Phone 7 devices were sold on Monday in the US—launch day to be specific—according to TheStreet. With Microsoft’s multi, multimillion dollar WP7 campaign (think between 500 million and 1 billion) you would think that these would have literally flown off the shelf. That is apparently not the case however.

Supply and distribution issues getting WP7 smartphones onto shelves certainly has had some effect. If you remember from yesterday, at least one online retailer has had to delay its Dell Venue Pros until January 2011. The HD7 from HTC is also getting slammed for inconsistent quality standards that leave some units with noticeably higher quality screens than others. Then there is the whole microSD card slot dilemma. A hidden microSD slot inside that actually provides the smartphones’ internal storage? I smell some nonsense. Is Apple the only smartphone company that can buy large enough quantities of flash NAND storage? Jeeze.

The WP7 platform also has no copy and paste functionality yet but that will roll out in a January update that also brings turn by turn navigation features to the operating system. In the age of over-the-air (OTA) updates for smartphones, these might not seem like that big of a deal from a logistics standpoint, but customers certainly notice. Look at how awfully long it is taking Samsung to get Android 2.2 ‘Froyo’ on its Galaxy S series of smartphones! Inexcusable.

Don’t get me wrong. I think WP7 will grow to become a strong alternative to iOS and Android, but that will take some time. All of us have gotten a little too used to Apple’s constant and consistent updates that roll out for all iOS devices at once. Love or hate the Apple, it is changing the way that smartphone manufacturers do business for the better. The more disgruntled we are over manufacturers and carriers getting their stuff together as Apple shows them up with its closed system, the more we will demand a similar system.

Unfortunately, our cries might just result in Google taking firmer control of the reigns with Android. The really sad part is that Google’s Android in its current form is still a little too rough for manufacturers to feel safe not putting their own user interfaces (UI) on top of Android. Long story short? Apple and Google know what is up, but HTC, Motorola and co. still have their heads in the sand a little too often for us to be comfortable with.

I expect WP7 sales to grow strongly over the next few months and the platform to grab a nice enough market share to be competitive until some of these problems get sorted out. In the meantime, let me know what you think. Happy with your WP7 smartphone? Android and iOS have a legitimate competitor now? Does RIM’s BlackBerry have a chance anymore? Let me know guys and girls.