Even Microsoft’s Windows Phone chief is using an iPhone

Funny things happen when you’re no longer championing the least popular phone platform out there: you stop using it.

Joe Belfiore is technically the Corporate Vice President, Operating Systems Group at Microsoft, but he took a year off starting in October 2015 for a worldwide trip.

Hey, strangers! Today in Kyoto we stumbled across a HAIR SHRINE! I paid my respects, thinking of all of you! pic.twitter.com/BpsfA4lHKJ

— Joe Belfiore (@joebelfiore) January 26, 2016

Belfiore, who is currently in Kyoto, has been tweeting pictures of his trip and posted a single tweet that gave away his phone of choice — Apple’s iPhone.

There’s a plethora of replies from people pointing out that he’s using an iPhone, and giving him grief for not making the Windows platform better. Belfiore hasn’t said anything further about it, but has replied to unrelated tweets since.

Still, Belfiore’s phone of choice probably doesn’t really mean much at all — even if it is a bad omen for Window Mobile.

Given that he’s on vacation, the choice of an iPhone isn’t all that surprising since Microsoft has a newfound love for cross-platform apps — and it’s good for Microsoft’s phone chief to be on his toes about the competition.

Joe has, however, jumped into the comments on The Verge to explain exactly why, ever so eloquently:

To understand the benefits and drawbacks of a full ecosystem like Windows, Android, iOS — you have to LIVE IN IT. You have to feel its strengths and weaknesses, be let down, be delighted. And you can’t do that just “playing around” with a device for a couple of days. You have to learn the UI, upload your photos, use cross-device apps and tools… all of it.

Spotted via The Verge