In a recent interview, Bill Gates confirmed that he uses an Android phone and not an iPhone. Everything else in the billionaire’s rotation is based on Windows.
What phone Gates uses has always been a mystery. Microsoft, which he co-founded and currently advises, doesn’t have a healthy platform for mobile devices. Many times the company has tried (and failed) to bring Windows to mobile, and consumers have consistently embraced iOS and Android.
Gates joined Chris Wallace on FOX News Sunday over the weekend. After discussing the billionaire’s mission to eradicate global poverty, the interview shifted to a lightning round covering various topics. It started with the Giving Pledge, a campaign that encourages the rich to contribute the majority of their wealth to society, but then shifted to Gates’ relationship with Steve Jobs and his thoughts on the new iPhone.
Here’s what he said:
“I happen to use all Windows-based PCs. The phone that I have, recently I did switch to an Android phone with a lot of Microsoft software. But the competition in the software and IT space that Steve [Jobs] helped foster, it’s phenomenal. And Microsoft’s a big part of that.”
You can tell by his tone that he’s still very much turned off by Apple’s products and services.
When asked about his relationship with Jobs, Gates revealed their friendship was strengthened near the end of the Apple mastermind’s life. However, he did add that they held very different strategies for their companies. It was at the D5 Conference in 2007 that Jobs and Gates faced off on stage just before the mobile industry started booming due to the arrival of the iPhone from Apple.
The interview on FOX News Sunday ended with one last check that Gates doesn’t use an iPhone. He responded by saying “Nope, no iPhone.”
Here’s the full interview (jump to 11:30 for the mobile stuff):
