Melinda Gates says they must stick to Microsoft devices

Dec 28, 2012 13:04 GMT  ·  By

With Microsoft investing heavily in some other industry sectors beside software, Bill Gates’ kids aren’t allowed to use Apple gadgets, Melinda Gates, the wife of the famous Microsoft founder, said.

According to the Telegraph, Mrs. Gates revealed during a Radio 4 show that her two daughters and son must use Windows devices, even though they sometimes ask for iPods.

“But they get Windows technology,” she explained. “The wealth from our family came from Microsoft so why would we invest in a competitor?”

And still, Bill Gates’ family doesn’t manage to stay away from Apple devices. In 2009, Melinda Gates told Vogue magazine that the iPhone looked like a very appealing gadget and admitted that several of her friends bought one.

What’s more, Jennifer, the 16-year-old daughter of the Gates family, was spotted holding an iPhone during a jogging session in Sydney.

Now that Microsoft has migrated from the software company concept towards a devices and services approach, the Redmond-based technology giant struggles to compete with Apple in many more industry sectors.

The company has already launched the Surface RT, its first tablet in history, and is also getting ready to debut the Surface with Windows 8 Pro. The Surface RT has often been described as a potential iPad killer, even though early sales figures indicated that it’s far from becoming a threat for Apple’s utterly popular tablet.

In addition, Microsoft has released Windows Phone 8, a potential iPhone rival that’s yet to represent a truly powerful competitor for the iPad.

More devices are expected to be released in 2013, including new Surface tablets, but also a Surface-branded smartphone that would be a much advanced threat for the iPhone.

A 7-inch gaming tablet called Xbox Surface is also rumored to join Microsoft’s tablet family, but the company is yet to comment on this matter.