Microsoft CEO’s reaction to iPhone launch in 2007 has not aged well

One of the magic things about the internet is that anything you say can come back to bite you if you are proven wrong.

That goes for everyone too, anyone can get caught out and no-one is safe from the clutches of old videos, photos and posts on social media.

It includes Microsoft's former CEO, who had this reaction to the launch of the iPhone:

In 2007, Apple released the first generation iPhone to the world, aiming to kick-start a new generation of 'smartphones'.

The iPhone was the first mass production mobile device to capture the imagination of the public, with its easy-to-use interface and 'cool' touch-screen controls making it stand out in the market.

Competitors like Blackberry and IBM continued to target the business audience, while Apple went for the broader public, eventually conquering the business world too.

But the funny thing is, no-one saw it coming.

This include's Microsoft's CEO at the time, Steve Ballmer, who has had an old clip of him reacting to the launch of the iPhone go viral.

David Paul Morris/Getty Images

In the video, he was asked what his reaction was to it, and he can be seen audibly laughing.

The CEO then explained: "$500 fully subsidised with a plan?

"I said that is the most expensive phone in the world and it doesn't appeal to business customers because it doesn't have a keyboard, which makes it not a very good email machine."

Ballmer claimed that it may sell or not and that Microsoft 'had their strategy'.

He then stated: "Right now we are selling millions and millions and millions of phones a year - Apple is selling zero phones a year."

They say hindsight is 20/20, but there's getting proved wrong and then there's THIS.

He then concluded: "In six months, they'll have the most expensive phone by far, ever, in the marketplace and let's see, let's see how the competition goes," with a smirk plastered across his face.

X/@historyinmemes

The iPhone ultimately proved to be Apple's greatest success, propelling the company to becoming one of the top three richest companies in the world.

It has become, as you probably know, the staple of a 'smartphone' in the modern age.

Ballmer though, explained himself in a 2015 interview with Bloomberg, saying that it was the price of the device that drove him to laughter.

He also admitted: "We should have been in the hardware business sooner, in the [smart] phone case."

This didn't stop users on X, formerly Twitter, from finding the clip ironic.

One user commented: "Ballmer is living proof that you can become one of the wealthiest people on the planet while misjudging one of the most revolutionary products in history."

Another said: "Microsoft was always very arrogant, they had the same attitude when entering the gaming market, trying to buy Nintendo."

A third put: "He was so so wrong on everything."