Looking back, Steve Ballmer never should have laughed off the iPhone. Or at least that's the subtext of a recent CBS interview in which Microsoft (MSFT 2.45%) co-founder Bill Gates says that his company made "mistakes" in mobile that allowed Apple and Google to emerge. Today, they're two of the world's dominant suppliers of smartphone operating system software.
Meanwhile, Windows Phone remains in the formative stages with hopes that a wide-ranging partnership with one-time smartphone leader Nokia (NOK +1.68%) will pay off. Do the odds favor Mr. Softy? Or have Apple and Google grown too big, too fast?
The Motley Fool's Alison Southwick asks Tim Beyers of Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova for his perspective in the video below. Please watch, and then leave a comment to let us know what you think.
