Microsoft Won’t Make An iPhone Competitor, Gates Says

Several companies have announced or released competing products to Apple’s iPhone, among them Nokia’s N810 (which isn’t a phone, but provides internet capabilities), and HTC’s Touch. However, in an interview with German national newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Bill Gates stated that Microsoft wouldn’t be joining that list anytime soon, according to PC World. The company, he stated, prefers to focus on its Windows Mobile platform, which is already in wide use.

His statement essentially puts the kibosh on rumors that began to circulate shortly after the release of the iPhone. But wait…in February 2007, CrunchGear reported that Microsoft filed a patent for a handheld device that would use the OFDM communication protocol, the basis for future 4G wireless networks. If Bill was giving a straight story, it means that any development that might have occurred has been halted. Which is just as well…we desperately need Microsoft to have total focus and be at the top of their game for Windows 7.

“We have partnerships with a lot of device manufacturers from Samsung to Motorola and this variety brings us significantly more than if we would make our own mobile phone,” he added.

Source: PC World