Steve Jobs Created the iPad to Show a Microsoft Employee What a Tablet Could Be

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Posted October 26, 2011 at 2:43pm by Shalom Levytam

Another interesting story out of the Steve Jobs biography reveals that the iPad was created to silence a Microsoft employee that kept bragging about how great their tablet (perhaps this one?) was going to be.

[Bill] Gates was annoyed that the guy kept revealing information about the tablet PC he had developed for Microsoft. "He's our employee and he's revealing out intellectual property," Gates recounted. Jobs was also annoyed, and it had the consequence that Gates feared. As Jobs recalled:

This guy badgered me about how Microsoft was going to completely change the world with this tablet PC software and eliminate all notebook computers, and Apple ought to license his Microsoft software. But he was doing the device all wrong. It had a stylus. As soon as your have a stylus, you're dead. This dinner was like the tenth time he talked to me about it, and I was so sick of it that I came home and said, "Fuck it, let's show him what a tablet can really be."

Jobs went into the office the next day, gathered his team, and said, "I want to make a tablet, and it can't have a keyboard or a stylus."

[via CultofMac]

Steve Jobs Created the iPad to Show a Microsoft Employee What a Tablet Could Be

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Khantastic - October 27, 2011 at 3:12am

Joseph - December 17, 2011 at 1:12pm

No I created the I pad and I phone with a tech and 3G rep at the table

PReaper - October 26, 2011 at 9:36pm

And the first iPad still owns all the competition hahaha xP The irony..

Winski - October 26, 2011 at 5:14pm

Loose lips sink hulking, lumbering, drowning ships.... Just LOOK at Bomber... Microshaft will be a Chap.11 in 3 years.... Buh..bye...

Noman - October 26, 2011 at 5:08pm

Got ipad and used iphone since day 1 - also have 3macs and no PCs and i still think that the story did not end on this. mS will have their time to show off with their marvelous Windows 8+... Having OS that has both sides Tablet (Metro...) and fullyfeatured desktop OS is dream come true. Win 8tablets will be soon out and they will truely be replacements for both laptop and desktop - depending surely on your resource needs. iOS doent look like its going to be that anytime soon - they should merge itwith OSX and just have light Tablet UI that can be switched off and tablet could be used as fully blown OSX. Its def the future - limiting people with handicaped Mobile OS is soon things of past - history. Apple should note that before their downhill begings.

smate333 - October 26, 2011 at 4:38pm

To be specific, there is no multitasking at the same time on the screen, you can swipe with four fingers to switch between running apps or dbl press the home button to see the running apps on then bottom and choose, just so you know.

dancj - October 26, 2011 at 4:43pm

Firstly the iPad does have multitasking. Just not the way you want it done. Secondly, it is a tablet. It just doesn't fit your narrow definition of a tablet.

Ios6beta1 - October 26, 2011 at 4:20pm

Then don't read these blogs

iPorwin - October 26, 2011 at 3:48pm

Steve finally proved it! Windows tablets are just so pathetic!

dt - October 26, 2011 at 3:30pm

Ever hear of the Newton?

te72s - October 26, 2011 at 3:06pm

Steve Jobs also invented Toilet Paper! He wanted to show a bear what wiping your ass could do...