In an interview published yesterday, Microsoft Chairman, Bill Gates said that the software giant will not launch a product that competes directly with the iPhone.

“In the so-called smart phone business we will concentrate solely on software with our Windows Mobile programme”

It looks like this may be a good idea considering the partnerships Microsoft has with other phone manufacturers and Microsoft’s past run -ins with Apple products.

Although Microsoft’s Windows platform maintains a clear lead in the OS wars, their attempt to compete directly with Apple’s iPod fell way short. The success of the Zune portable music player, despite interesting features like song squirting, has not been able to break the global marketshare dominance of Apple’s iPod line.

[Via Guardian]