This day 15 years ago: Bill Gates accurately predicted the death of the iPod, but did not expect the culprit is the iPhone

On May 12, 2005, Bill Gates told a German newspaper that the iPod would soon be a thing of the past. This may seem like a no surprise at the moment, but round 15 years ago, Gates’ prediction was like a slap in the face of Apple. Because at that time, the iPod was one of the main products of the Apple family and brought about great success for them in the electronics market.

The reason Gates offers is because mobile phones will receive major upgrades and soon replace iPods and other similar products. Looking back 15 years, his prediction is completely accurate as smartphones are now an essential part of the lives of people around the world. But one thing seems to be beyond the expectations of the former Microsoft CEO: Apple is willing to “kill” the iPod and launch the iPhone, one of the largest mobile brands in the world today, and also a part. indirect cause of death of Microsoft mobile segment.

Bill Gates once frankly stated that the iPod would not be able to maintain its success at the moment this device line is “carrying” Apple’s revenue.

Share with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Gates said: “Apple products are very good quality, but I think the iPod will not be able to maintain for a long time. Try comparing to the computer array that you will understand immediately. Apple used to be very strong in this area with the Macintosh and its sophisticated user interface, like today’s iPods (2005). But then they gradually lost their position . ”

After that, Gates continued to comment on the future technology market. He said mobile phones can fully integrate the functions provided by the iPod, and will directly destroy the entire MP3 player market in a short time. However, at that time, people thought Gates’s speech was just a breeze through the ears, even a bitter part of an “out of date”. He resigned as CEO of Microsoft in 2000 and is considered no longer reputable in the technology market like Steve Jobs.

On the other hand, many experts also believe that the iPod will continue its momentum of success for a long time. Sony has sold a total of 340 million Walkman music devices within 25 years. Meanwhile, despite the new launch not long, but iPod has reached 15 million sales milestone. Few believe that this product line will soon fail as Bill Gates judges.

Many experts believe that the iPod will continue to do miracles in the future.

But time proved everything, and it seems that Steve Jobs also shared the same opinion with Bill Gates at that time. While the iPod was accounting for 45% of Apple’s total revenue, Jobs suddenly diverted business when he signed a contract with Motorola to produce a phone capable of playing music on iTunes.

This phone is the ROKR E1, a forgotten disappointment and also considered the “ancestor” of the iPhone today. Despite not being well received by users, it is still the first step in creating a device compatible with iTunes, marking Apple’s new ambition when it is determined to capture the smartphone market. And only 2 years later, the Apple officially launched the first iPhone generation and opened a new era brighter than the iPod.

Bill Gates was right about the death of the iPod 15 years ago. But why the success of the iPhone is beyond the prediction of this billionaire? That’s because Microsoft doesn’t give a damn about the first generation of smartphones Apple makes, and thinks it won’t make porridge.

When asked how he felt about the first iPhone model, Gates’ successor CEO Steve Ballmer once quipped: ” $ 500 for a cell phone?” It will not be able to attract customers without a physical keyboard. Maybe it will achieve good sales, but we (Microsoft) are ready for our own plan. Now you can buy a lot of Windows mobile devices on the market. You can own a Motorola Q for only $ 99. It does a lot of fun, listen to this music, surf the web, text this. I must say I am extremely satisfied with Microsoft’s strategy . ”

But in the end, the iPhone was the winner and still maintains the reputation to this day. And Windows Phone soon disappeared from the mobile map after many years of struggling but could not leave any impression in the eyes of the user.

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