[blinkingled]

Nothing to do with OP's point of Android being based on Linux even before the iPhone.

[Every time this story is told, I like to remind - note how fast Google were able to pivot / adapt when Microsoft with their crazy resources and Engineering might took way longer. (Even beyond that MS had to change the way apps were developed for WP.) Fact is Google/Danger/Android were in a fundamentally good position mobile OS design wise way before the iPhone. After the iPhone - they looked at the possibilities of multi touch soft keyboard UI and were able to get there and surpass fairly fast.]

[addicted]

To be fair Google knew about the iPhone well before Microsoft did (they worked closely with Apple in the beginning for Maps and search).

But even adjusting for that it took MS 3-4 years after the iPhone to just get Windows Phone 7 out, and that was also clearly a rushed release, because they had to throw everything out for Windows Phone 8.