- Microsoft discontinued Windows Phone 8.1 earlier this year
- Bill Gates might be using Microsoft Edition of Galaxy S8
- The exact Android handset was not revealed in the interview
Microsoft's attempts at capturing the smartphone market have
all failed spectacularly, and it appears the company's co-founder has no faith
in the current Windows 10 Mobile ecosystem. Under Satya Nadella's leadership,
Microsoft has brought its much-used productivity software to both Google's
Android and Apple's iOS platforms, and it seems former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates
seems satisfied with this route. In an interview, Gates shared he is now using
an Android smartphone with lots of Microsoft software on board, choosing it
over an iPhone.
In an interview with Fox News, Bill Gates said, "It's
great that Apple is continuing to good work [after Steve Jobs passed away]. I
happen to use all Windows-based PCs. The phone that I have recently, I actually
did switch to an Android phone with lot of Microsoft software, but the
competition in software and IT space that Steve [Jobs] help foster, is
phenomenal and Microsoft is a big part of that."
Although Bill Gates didn't share the exact Android handset
that he is using as his daily driver, the reference to "lot of Microsoft
software" helps us speculate that he might be talking about the Microsoft
edition of either Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+, which were launched in April
by the company this year. To recall, the Microsoft-customised version of the smartphones
comes with the Redmond-based company's applications such as Office, OneDrive,
Cortana, Outlook and more.
Putting aside any doubts that Gates might be using an iPhone
as well on the side, he simply said, "No, no iPhone" when the
interviewer asked him if he is not using the iPhone. While Gates might not be
using an iPhone, he did not hold back while complimenting Steve Jobs and Apple
for their work in the industry during the interview.
