Kubasebenzisi asebedlule cishe kuwo wonke amamodeli we-iPhone, uzokhumbula ngokuqinisekile izitatimende ezenziwe yilowo owayengumphathi omkhulu we-Microsoft, uSteve Ballmer, lapho aqinisekisa khona imibuzo yezintatheli, ukuthi bethula ifoni ebiza kangako futhi Ngaphandle kwekhibhodi bekuwumqondo omubi kakhulu nokuthi i-Apple ngeke iphumelele kulolo hambo olusha. Isikhathi ekugcineni sikhombisile ukuthi inkampani esekwe eCupertino ilungile futhi ithathwe kuSteve Ballmer ophumayo, okwathi ngemuva kokushiya inkampani wathenga iqembu le-NBA.
Esithangamini nabezindaba, uBallmer ukuqinisekisile lokho bekuwubuhlanya ukwethula idivayisi ngaphandle kwekhibhodi enentengo engu- $ 500, esho ukuthi kwakuyifoni ebiza kakhulu emhlabeni nokuthi kuma-dollar angama-99 ungathola ama-terminals emakethe enza into efanayo ne-iPhone, futhi enekhibhodi ebonakalayo. UBallmer uthe idivaysi engenayo ikhibhodi yokuthumela ama-imeyili ayenzi mqondo. Kusukela lapho, uBallmer ubengomunye wabalingisi bama-GIF amaningi ajikeleza ku-inthanethi lapho sifuna igama lakhe noma eleMicrosoft.
Eminyakeni engu-9 kamuva, uBallmer ulivumile iphutha lakhe engxoxweni yokugcina ayinikeza iBloomberg, lapho athi khona i-Apple yenze izinto kahle impela. UBallmer wayengakaweli ethubeni lokuthi opharetha baxhase ama-terminals, into engasiza kakhulu ukunwetshwa nempumelelo i-iPhone ekugcineni eye yaba nayo kuyo yonke le minyaka.
Eminyakeni edlule, sikwazile ukuqinisekisa ukuthi kanjani i-iPhone ibiyi-terminal ebeke umkhuba futhi bekungokokuqala ukuqeda ikhibhodi ngokuphelele ukusebenzisa i-touch screen ngaphambili kwayo, lapho singenza noma yisiphi isenzo, kufaka phakathi ukubhala ngekhibhodi ebonakalayo esikrinini.