The iPhone Was Born Out Of Steve Job’s Hatred For Microsoft

It’s no secret that there was a time when Microsoft and Apple were butting heads over hardware technology. The iPod and Zoon, anyone? However, it was recently revealed that the rivalry between the two companies was actually more intense behind the scene. In fact, Steve Jobs reportedly hated Microsoft so much that it led to the creation of the iPhone. Fancy that.

As Business Insider notes, it can be tempting to think that one of the most dominant forces in the smartphone market came about due to an inspiring moment of realization. However, iPhone co-inventor, Scott Forstall said this was simply not the case.

According to Forstall, the device was actually invented after a series of particularly grating interactions that Steve Jobs had with an employee at Microsoft. This employee was apparently part of Jobs’ social circle due to his wife, Laurene Powell Jobs. As a result, the two would often cross paths, particularly during social events.

It would appear that during every encounter, the Apple founder would return in a terrible mood. In one particular instance, the employee told Jobs that Microsoft was close to creating a Tablet PC, which would solve one of computing’s biggest problems. The part that really irritated Jobs, however, is the fact that the tablet would only be usable with a stylus.

This interaction occurred on a weekend and by the time the former Apple boss came back, he had his employees dig in to beat Microsoft at its own game. Jobs was especially keen on providing a touchscreen technology that could be used with fingers. Hence, why the iPhone was born.

Offering the first ever touchscreen smartphone that had the same features as the iPhone in 2007 changed Apple in many ways. As Quartz pointed out, however, the Cupertino firm retains one crucial aspect. As in the past, Apple is and will likely remain a control-freak of a company, jealously guarding its secrets and compelled to keep everything in its own ecosystem.