June 10, 2000: Gassee Bashes Microsoft
When Apple ousted Steve Jobs, many of his duties eventually came under the purview of John-Louis Gassee. Eventually, like Steve Jobs, Gassee was ousted by John Sculley.
Also, like Steve Jobs, Gassee dressed with a certain style (leather pants--think of the chafing) and spoke his mind. Unlike Steve, Gassee spoke freely to the press. When asked about Microsoft as innovators, Gassee let Wired magazine know exactly how he felt:
"I'd be the last one to say that Microsoft makes shitty software, but ... they have not made one significant innovation -- not one."
Gassee did allow that Microsoft was creative in other areas, including intimidating contracts and legal shenanigans. Gassee summed up his feelings about Microsoft's influence like this:
" It's pretty clear that if for the last five years customers had real operating systems and real application choices, everything would be better, faster, cleaner, more reliable, and cheaper."
Gassee's real feelings were published in a Wired interview on June 10, 2000.
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And how right he was (OK, not on his choice of dress, but certainly the latter comment).
Totally agree about the iPad, ChiefTom. But that’s the brilliance of Jobs and Apple.
They introduce this amazing new gadget and give it a name that sounds like a feminine hygiene product. Everyone has a laugh. And rightfully so.
But now, after selling two million of them, Apple is getting a lot less Maxi pad jokes. Heck, no one even thinks about the connection anymore because the product is so jaw-droppingly new and successful.
Compare that to Microsoft, which took the name of its most famous product and just stuck a number behind it. Boo!
We’re consumers. We like to think our phones define us, or at least makes us look cooler than we are. So give us a phone that sounds like it could double as a sci-fi novel. Like Android. Or Destructobot. ANYTHING but (pushes up glasses, speaks in nasal monotone) Microsoft Phone 7.
Am I being unfair by saying that just because of its name the phone is going to suck? Maybe a little. But I’d like to think that given Ballmer and Microsoft’s recent history, the skepticism is more than warranted.
Either way, thanks for stopping by. And please learn to love the mudslinging/reporting combo platter, otherwise I’m out of a job resume examples.