Petr Škuta The beginnings of mobile operating systems were definitely richer that the current state. Today, Apple and Google are mainly facing each other, but not long ago there were many more players in the mobile market.
Few people know that even after his departure in 2000, Bill Gates still had a major say in Microsoft. Therefore, he is partly to blame for the fact that the company completely lost in the mobile market. At the same time, not enough was enough and instead of the pair Apple x Google we could have the traditional rivals Apple and Microsoft.
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Amaya Toman The world of software is governed by simple rules. The system can be compared to the US presidential election, as the winner takes all. Android is now the standard in the non-Apple world, which it is, but the position naturally belongs to Microsoft. But as Gates describes, the company failed in this area.
Windows Mobile had many original ideas that later eventually found their way into both iOS and Android
It wasn't just Ballmer who underestimated the iPhone
After leaving the post of director, Gates was replaced by the well-known Steve Ballmer. Many people remember his laugh at the iPhone, but also countless decisions that were not always ideal for Microsoft. But Gates still had the power to influence events from the position of chief software architect. For example, he was behind the decision to transform Windows Mobile into Windows Phone and others that we might think were from Ballmer's head.
Bill Gates himself demonstratively switched to Android in 2017 after the failure of mobile Windows.
It is not widely known that when the iPhone was still classified, Google bought the Android platform for $50 million. At that time, no one had any idea that Apple would set trends and direction in the mobile market for many years.
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Android as a means against Windows Mobile
Google's then-CEO Eric Schmidt mistakenly predicted that Microsoft would become a dominant player in the nascent smartphone market. By buying Android, Google wanted to create an alternative to Windows Mobile.
In 2012, Android, under the wing of Google, withstood a legal battle with Oracle, which revolved around Java. Subsequently, the operating system rose to the position of number one and completely ended any hopes of mobile Windows.
Gates' admission of error is somewhat surprising. The majority attributed this failure to Ballmer, who became famous for saying:
"The iPhone is the most expensive phone in the world that doesn't have the potential to appeal to the business customer because it doesn't have a keyboard."
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However, Ballmer acknowledged that the iPhone can sell well. What he didn't quite recognize was that Microsoft (along with Nokia and others) completely missed the mark in the finger-touch smartphone era.
Gates adds: “With Windows and Office, Microsoft is the leader in these categories. However, if we didn't miss our chance, we could have been the overall market leader. Failed."
Source: 9to5Google
