Microsoft founder regrets losing the smartphone market
Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, admitted in a talk with Village Global, a venture capital company, that he regrets that Microsoft didn’t beat Google in creating the “standard non-Apple smartphone platform”.
In his own words, “In the software world, particularly for platforms, these are winner-take-all markets. So the greatest mistake ever is whatever mismanagement I engaged in that caused Microsoft not to be what Android is. That is, Android is the standard non-Apple phone platform. That was a natural thing for Microsoft to win. It really is winner take all. If you’re there with half as many apps or 90 percent as many apps, you’re on your way to complete doom. There’s room for exactly one non-Apple operating system and what’s that worth? $400 billion that would be transferred from company G to company M.“
Back in the day, Microsoft had Windows Mobile which was mostly a mini version of Windows on the PC. When the iPhone arrived in 2007, followed shortly after by Google’s Android, it became clear that people prefer the all-screen OS.
Microsoft tried to sway the customers over again in 2010 with the release of Windows Phone 7. However, by that time it was far behind Android and iOS. That, combined with limited support by manufacturers and a need for another reset with Windows Phone 8, ultimately sealed the fate of the platform.
Still, it’s not all bad for Microsoft. In recent years, under the leadership of Satya Nadella, the company has become the most valuable company in the world, beating both Apple and Google.