Path coming to Windows Phone, which founder Dave Morin calls "really good" and "impressive"

We reported earlier that Path, a social network designed exclusively for mobile use, was indeed coming to Windows Phone. Since then we took the time to watch through the whole webcast of the PandoMonthly event and dug up some interesting quotes from Path founder Dave Morin regarding Windows Phone.

Morin, who worked at Apple and Facebook before founding Path, talked about his company’s plans for the different mobile platforms in response to an audience question, beginning around the 1:08:00 mark (you can find the webcast over at PandoDaily). While he dismissed plans for a BlackBerry version entirely, saying that “we’re actively not developing for BlackBerry”, his attitude towards Windows Phone is markedly different. Admitting that “half the company is from Apple”, with 80% of its resources dedicated to iOS and the rest to Android, he said:

We’re also beginning work on Windows Phone, mostly because we believe that the product is really good. I don’t know if you guys have played with a Windows Phone but it’s actually quite impressive.

He even held his ground after a weird (but rather typical, for the tech blogging crowd) remark from Sarah Lacy, the PandoDaily founder and former TechCrunch writer, who, obviously never having tried a Windows Phone, asked him whether “it is impressive because it is from Microsoft”, implying “such a low bar” for Microsoft products that Windows Phone is inevitably going to look good in comparison:

Well, they could’ve just copied everybody else, right, and used their cash and distribution power to… [Google+ is brought up] I mean, they could go and do something similar to Android and iPhone right, they both have icons and apps and all this stuff, but Microsoft actually, I think what they’re doing is really bold, they’re actually throwing out the old Windows interface and they’re doing this Live Tile thing and this really interesting Metro interface, and I actually think it’s super bold. […] Being okay with throwing out the old stuff, they’re moving on, and so, I have a lot of respect for that. […] You know, it’s not gonna be a huge resource dedication, but we’ll start there.

Of course, he didn’t say anything new for most of us, but it’s definitely a good sign that a CEO from a hot Silicon Valley startup is acknowledging the work Microsoft is doing, especially if considering that the marketshare of Windows Phone is still pretty small.

Responding to further questions about the design of Path, which, as we wrote earlier, “relies on drop shadows and other faux-3D effects” commonly found on iOS, Morin said that “you’d have to hire a full-time designer for each platform”. This is definitely good news as well, since Path’s design, while excellent on iOS, would definitely need some change to fit in with the minimalist Metro UI.

So, do you think that this is a sign of things to come, that Windows Phone is finally establishing itself with the cool kids, or does Microsoft still have too much of a perception problem with tech bloggers?

Source: PandoDaily, via The Next Web