News
Bill Gates believes Microsoft losing to Android is his ‘greatest mistake’
He regrets that Microsoft didn’t beat Google
It’s no secret that Microsoft is enjoying the dominance of Windows on PCs, but its mobile counterpart didn’t do well while it was still alive. Windows Phone or Windows 10 Mobile failed to compete with Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android in the mobile scene. Unsurprisingly, Microsoft’s founder Bill Gates saw this as a missed opportunity.
During a talk with venture capital company Village Global, Bill Gates admitted that he regrets that Microsoft lost to Google in making a “standard non-Apple phone platform.”
The whole interview is available for viewing on YouTube and it’s more than an hour long. A lot of topics were discussed with useful insights about startups, investments, major world issues from Bill Gates himself.
One of the interesting answers from Gates was the revelation of his “greatest mistake ever,” which was Microsoft failing to take the opportunity Android had before.
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? US$ 400 billion that would be transferred from company G to company M.”
Gates’ owning the mistake is somewhat surprising because it was assumed that it was Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft, who didn’t saw the touchscreen revolution coming. Ballmer even laughed at the iPhone and called it unappealing to business customers because it lacks a keyboard. Hence, the company stuck with phones with keyboards.
We all know it was a big mistake for Microsoft as a company to ignore the iPhone. Google, on the other hand, took the golden chance and now they are on top of the mobile operating system chain.
Microsoft eventually came up with Windows Phone and launched it in 2010. It was pretty good, although it lacks the apps people are already enjoying on an iPhone or any Android device.
SEE ALSO: Microsoft’s Project xCloud game streaming service is coming in October
Apps
Netflix expands its cheaper ad-supported tier to Southeast Asia
This also includes more countries in Europe and South America.
If you don’t care about seeing a deluge of ads on your platforms, you’re an incredibly rare breed these days. That same skill will come in handy for those nicely priced subscription tiers that comes with ads. Netflix, for one, has one of those tiers, and it’s now coming out in more countries.
As is prevalent in other platforms today, an ad-supported subscription tier lowers the price you have to pay every month. The catch, however, is that there will be an occasional sprinkling of ads here and there.
Netflix offers this service, which allows subscribers to get the service for cheap at the expense of their time. Currently, it is limited to only a few major markets in the world. However, the platform is expanding the tier’s reach to more countries in Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia.
Starting in 2027, Netflix’s ad-supported tier will expand to 15 countries: Austria, Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Indonesia, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Thailand.
Netflix says that the ad-supported tier is a popular option for subscribers. Currently, the tier has around 250 million subscribers worldwide. Since some of the new countries have a more budget-conscious attitude when it comes to purchasing services, this number will likely go up after the expansion in 2027.
SEE ALSO: Netflix does the unthinkable: Mayweather-Pacquiao II set for September
Google One is a monthly subscription that gives you at least 200GB of cloud storage for your files and photos. For most people, a Google One subscription starts when Google inevitably tells them that their free storage space is running out and will soon stop backing up files. Starting today, new users might get that warning sooner rather than later as Google tests a lower limit to free storage.
Historically, Google offers users 15GB of free storage as a start. However, especially these days, 15GB can run out rapidly, prompting a Google One upgrade. Still, despite how “little” it is, Google’s free storage is generous compared to its contemporaries.
Now, Google is reportedly going to be more at par with the rest. As spotted on Reddit (via 9to5Google), new users will receive only 5GB of free storage. Based on Wayback Machine, the company changed its policy sometime between February to March.
Notably, 15GB is still available as an option, but users have to link their phone numbers to their accounts first.
According to Google, the policy change is meant to encourage users to upgrade their security. However, critics will point out that it just enables the company to collect more data about their users. Of note, the platform is already pushy about linking phone numbers before the change, but this adds another layer to entice people.
Also, Google confirms that the new policy is only a regional test for now. They have not announced when (or if) the change comes out for real.
SEE ALSO: Gmail now makes it easy to unsubscribe from all marketing emails
Gaming
The Steam Controller literally screams when you throw it
Please throw it at padded surfaces only.
We love harmless Easter eggs. Think of Chrome’s jumping dino or Android’s yearly quirk. It’s always fun when a device or app hides a special surprise for those in the know. Today, Valve is keeping the tradition alive by putting a screaming Easter egg in its new Steam Controller.
The first of its trio of new hardware, the Steam Controller converts the iconic layout of the Steam Deck into controller form. Besides offering an accessible controller, it also connects seamlessly to Steam, offering an easy doorway to plug and, literally, play.
Since it launched on May 4, users have already been playing around with their Steam Controllers. Presumably, this also includes a few rage moments that involve throwing the controller over a frustrating game.
If you threw your controller already, you might have heard an interesting surprise. As spotted by users online, the Steam Controller lets out a Wilhelm scream whenever it’s thrown.
For the unaware, the Wilhelm scream is the world’s most iconic scream. If you’ve watched a few movies, there’s a high chance that you’ve heard it before, as it’s often used as a background scream in many, many movies.
Notably, this has a cooldown of approximately one minute, so you can’t spam it over and over again. This also works on padded surfaces, so you don’t need to throw your controller at a hard wall. It’s just one of those nice Easter eggs that add a little spice to a favorite controller.
All that said, please don’t throw your Steam Controller at hard surfaces.
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