He probably regrets that comment now. By the end Q4 , ahead of Microsoft Windows Mobile at 21%. By June 2008 the , after Nokia and RIM. And last quarter .

Market share for Windows Mobile is decreasing, seemingly passed over in favor of cooler platforms like the iPhone and Android. That's not the only gloomy spot for Microsoft -- the company has apparently done little to capitalize on .

As for Android, Ballmer's negative forecast neglected to mention early sales. The first Android phone -- the T-Mobile G1 -- . That's not as big as the iPhone, but it isn't exactly a failure, either.

But Ballmer does have a good question for Google: How is the Android supposed to make money?

He has a point. The excitement over Android reminds me of the early days of Java at Sun. Java was a great language, but beyond licensing it for devices such as mobile handsets, .