In a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Microsoft founder Bill Gates has hinted that the company needs to take greater risks with its long-standing products. Windows and Office are two products that Microsoft created at the height of their powers and have been repeatedly tweaked and tuned up ever since.

Gates commented that “now, they need more than a tune-up. But that’s pretty exciting for the people inside who say. ‘We need to take a little more risk and do some new stuff’.” Whilst we could speculate what new stuff could be undoubtedly a touch-orientated version of Office for iOS would be a welcome and overdue addition to Microsoft’s range.

In the same interview Gates also hinted that Microsoft may no longer command the position of authority that it once had. Referring to the nineties when the organisation had so much money that they could pursue whatever ideas they wanted, he admitted that Google now held that position. He also admitted that Microsoft would have purchased WhatsApp but not for the $19 billion price that Facebook paid.