Steve Ballmer's reaction(s) to the iPhone are the most hylarious. An example here [0]

[0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eywi0h_Y5_U

Well, it's obviously very funny in retrospect, but you have to put yourself in his shoes. Hardware is under-powered from what it seems, to make a general computing device that is small enough, has long enough battery life and doesn't cost a ton of money. Also people are very price sensitive about devices they only use for limited communication (phone calls, SMS, maybe some emails). They are far less price sensitive when that device becomes a general purpose computer and media machine and does basically everything they need related to getting information and entertainment, on the go at that!

He didn't know about the software keyboard innovations that Apple had created (for example the predictive keyboards, the haptic feedback, etc.) and Microsoft wasn't making the whole product so they couldn't optimize the experience as much in order to have reasonable performance and battery life with a small device.

Though I'll grant you that Ballmer was the king of over the top reactions ("Developers!" :-D ).

I think the most illuminating thing about Ballmer here is the way he speaks about features of Microsoft devices, and it shows why the company lost a decade of innovation under him: "it will 'do' Web, or will 'do' email".

These are feature check boxes to him. It's not a question of whether the feature is GOOD, whether browsing the web is a delightful experience that the users actually want to do on the device. Nope - it'll do web. That's it. No more questions.

This is very much the enterprise mindset where purchasers often don't have to actually use the software, so you can sell them impressive checklists.

I worked at Microsoft at the time the iPhone was announced (2007) and the reaction internally was this this thing would never take off because it couldn't access Exchange server emails. The logic was -

Smartphones are for enterprise users.

Enterprise users want Exchange on their phones (see Blackberry).

This doesn't have Exchange but has some nice UI.

Windows Mobile 6.X has Exchange.

We will improve 6.X UI in the next iteration and it will all work out.

iPhones, of course, got ActiveSync / Exchange support in ~2009.

I think the most telling thing in that clip is his statement, referring to the Microsoft phone software that "... it'll do internet." That was how companies viewed phone software before the iPhone; "do internet" was another box to check off. No concern about whether the browser worked well, or any remark about the walled-garden search results, etc. Could it usefully display most web sites? Could you browse sites for more than 1/2 hour before recharging? Who cares - it does internet.

I’m not sure if I’ve seen that, but now that I’m grown up, those statements look defensive.

He ridicules the price first, then later on says “it may sell very well, (pause) or not,”.

What’s being said is “it’s a problem if it sells”, and the most fundamental reason he gave that it might not is the price, not, say, lack of Apple’s expertise in the field or perceived clunkiness of it.

Its better than the burnt platform memo. He could have had a different view outside the cameras.

Here's a great article from 2007 I've had bookmarked for a while.

https://www.engadget.com/2007/11/05/symbian-nokia-microsoft-...