Bill Gates blames antitrust case for downfall of Windows Mobile

A few years ago, mobiles phones were powered by SymbianOS, iOS, Android and Windows Mobile. Eventually, due to various circumstances, Apple and Google's operating system are only ones left standing to this day. Bill Gates was recently in an interview, wherein the discussions touched upon the company's doomed OS. According to the Microsoft co-founder, the antitrust case was the reason for the failure. Moreover, he believes modern smartphones would be running on Redmond-based tech firm's platform if it wasn't for the legal debacle.

An article published by ZDNet elaborates on the matter as to why he allegedly blames the government lawsuit. "There's no doubt that the antitrust lawsuit was bad for Microsoft and we would have been more focused on creating the phone operating system," said Bill Gates. "And so instead of using Android today, you would be using Windows Mobile," he added.

It appears that Microsoft's original plan was to develop the operating system for an undisclosed smartphone from Motorola. Sources speculate it is most likely to be the 2009 Moto Droid, which is one of the pioneer devices to help promote Google's operating system in the US. Progress was evidently slowed down by the ongoing court battle, which led to a three-month delay for the final build of Windows Mobile.

On the other hand, Gates believes the company's troubles opened another opportunity for him to pursue his philanthropic endeavours. The antitrust woes led to his early retirement, but in turn, gave him the time to focus on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In spite of his opinion about competing with Android, Microsoft's new direction with its upcoming hardware lineup should come as a surprise for consumers. The Surface Duo is reportedly running on Android instead of Windows. At the product showcase last month, the tech industry did not expect the dual-display smartphone to have Google's platform on board.

When pressed for answers in an interview, Microsoft chief product officer Panos Panay gave an unexpected answer. According to reports, the reason for using Android on the Surface Duo was simply because it has all the apps users want. In contrast, it could be the company's way of saying that Windows Mobile has no chance of revival.