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Bill Gates: Windows and Windows Phone will be combined into one platform

Published Oct 25th, 2012 3:17PM EDT
Bill Gates Interview Windows

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In a recent interview posted by Microsoft (MSFT), company co-founder Bill Gates had much praise to offer Microsoft’s upcoming Surface tablet. Gates called the new slate an “unbelievably great product” and said it is far more than just a tablet. In a less widely reported portion of the interview, however, the former Microsoft boss had an insight to offer that sheds further light on Microsoft’s future plans.

According to Gates, the code-sharing between Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 is just the beginning. Eventually, the two platforms will merge completely.

“We’re certainly sharing between Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 – sharing the user interface, sharing some of those development tools, and over time we’ll just get to do more and more of that,” Gates said according to The Register. “It’s evolving literally into being a single platform.”

Windows 8 and Microsoft’s debut Windows hardware device, the Surface tablet, are both scheduled to launch on Friday. BGR also reported that Microsoft is working on a Surface-branded smartphone that could launch early next year.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.