Microsoft Windows Phone chief Joe Belfiore tweets from an Apple iPhone

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in General Discussion
In the midst of a monthslong leave of absence from his post as head of the company's operating systems group, longtime Microsoft executive Joe Belfiore on Tuesday tweeted from an iPhone, which made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.




"Hey, strangers! Today in Kyoto we stumbled across a HAIR SHRINE!," Belfiore wrote in the ill-fated tweet. "I paid my respects, thinking of all of you!"

Accompanying the missive was a photo of Belfiore in Japan -- sporting a new blond hairstyle -- and the telltale "via Twitter for iPhone" tag.

Thousands of followers immediately called him out for his apparent platform defection, and the crisis eventually spawned dozens of blog posts commenting on the matter. A think piece from The Verge noted that as Belfiore is on leave, it's only natural that he see other phones while away.

Belfiore rose to his own defense, both on Twitter and in the comments section of The Verge's piece.

"Consumers and business users expect their PCs and phones to work in concert-- so to satisfy our customers we need to consider the devices they use AS WELL AS the devices we'd like them to use," Belfiore noted in the comments. "On a 9-month leave-of-absence, I have a HUGE AND UNUSUAL opportunity to get to know these products deeply. To understand the benefits and drawbacks of a full ecosystem like Windows, Android, iOS -- you have to LIVE IN IT."

On Twitter, Belfiore lamented that he had been unable to provide even more provocation.

"Right now I'm just bummed that I left my Palm Pre behind," he said. "I really loved that phone, and THAT tweet would have TOTALLY thrown you all..."
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 42
    Yeah, I loved my Pre 2. The keyboard was too small and the screen resolution was too low, but webOS goodness...
  • Reply 2 of 42
    his explanation sounds more like

    tweet !    ……tweet, tweet.   …..tweet

    LOL
    jbdragonmacky the macky
  • Reply 3 of 42
    tzeshantzeshan Posts: 2,351member
    Wintel fans were cheated since the beginning.  Microsoft inventions are mostly copied from Apple just like Google Android world is doing. His job will work if he can successfully copy from Apple iPhone.  
    calicapasicum
  • Reply 4 of 42
    Extra credit for the Douglas Adams bit.
    banchoking editor the grategtrspheric
  • Reply 5 of 42
    I'm not buying this excuse, who the hell needs to try out twitter on an iPhone, he just totally forgot.
    edited January 2016 calicnocbuijbdragonawilliams87capasicumchiarevenantredgeminipa
  • Reply 6 of 42
    steviestevie Posts: 956member
    This just proves once again that Apple has beaten Microsoft.
    awilliams87macky the macky
  • Reply 7 of 42
    This is a non story. Developers routinely use competitive products to develope things like apps and such on (ie Word).
    edited January 2016 canukstormfreerangesingularity
  • Reply 8 of 42
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    Priceless.

    But not really surprising. 
  • Reply 9 of 42
    williamhwilliamh Posts: 1,032member
    This is a non story. Developers routinely use competitive products to develope things like apps and such on (ie Word).
    Sure, but is the head of the OS group really a developer?  In any case, no big deal. 
  • Reply 10 of 42
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    Twitter: The Revealer of Closet iPhone Users

    My favorite:

    Blackberry tweets from iPhone!
    http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/13/7539683/blackberry-tweeting-from-iphone
    ronncornchipredgeminipa
  • Reply 11 of 42
    kent909kent909 Posts: 731member
    I want to know if the presidential candidates will be discussing this horrible travesty on mankind in the next debates? /s
    freerange
  • Reply 12 of 42
    He was on a break! 

    :)
  • Reply 13 of 42
    I sense a Hitch-hickers Guide quote in the "which made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move."
  • Reply 14 of 42
    Love the Adams hat-tip.
  • Reply 15 of 42
    kent909 said:
    I want to know if the presidential candidates will be discussing this horrible travesty on mankind in the next debates? /s
    Well of course they will.  Trump will talk about how they need to be using American-made phones, like his Samsung...
    anton zuykov
  • Reply 16 of 42
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
    williamh said:
    This is a non story. Developers routinely use competitive products to develope things like apps and such on (ie Word).
    Sure, but is the head of the OS group really a developer?  In any case, no big deal. 
    of course. and as the head of a product he'd be foolish not to use other products.

    agreed on no big deal.
    edited January 2016 freerangesingularity
  • Reply 17 of 42
    satchmosatchmo Posts: 2,699member
    I never knew Windows phone users were that passionate. 
    cornchipauxioanton zuykov
  • Reply 18 of 42
    knowitallknowitall Posts: 1,648member
    Unusable they lost any faith in it.
  • Reply 19 of 42
    williamhwilliamh Posts: 1,032member
    williamh said:
    Sure, but is the head of the OS group really a developer?  In any case, no big deal. 
    of course. and as the head of a product he'd be foolish not to use other products.

    agreed on no big deal.
    Sure he'd be foolish not to use other products.  Just not great PR to broadcast it.
    cornchipanton zuykov
  • Reply 20 of 42
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    This is a non story. Developers routinely use competitive products to develope things like apps and such on (ie Word).

    He's on a year break though isn't he? So if he's on a break he doesn't have to use competitor's products.

    Anyway, the bigger deal here is his hair…
    edited January 2016
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