How to close the Microsoft Courier project

Cnet reporters interviewed 18 current and former Microsoft employees to find out why the Courier booklet project was closed in April 2010, immediately after the release of the Apple iPad .

The preliminary information on Courier development was remarkably received by the press, even on Habré there were enough rave reviews. Even before the presentation of the iPad, the device from Microsoft was almost ready for production, its technical characteristics were announced. They said that mass production can begin in a few months, and sales - in the III or IV quarter. 2010 year. What happened?

To begin with, the development of Courier was dealt with by the department of Jay Allard, a real "white crow" in the Microsoft camp, which until then from scratch created a project for the Xbox game console and Zune player. Allard himself is known as a fan of mountain biking and a fan of Apple technology (he had nine iPods and the working computer was the Apple G5). In general, it was strange to see such a figure among the top managers of Microsoft.

So, at the beginning of 2010, Stephen Ballmer had a big question: whether or not to give green light to the production of Courier. He hesitated because this Windows CE 6 device (like the Zune player) did not fit into the Microsoft ecosystem and software development plan at all. After all, the company invested heavily in the development of Windows Phone 7, the Metro interface, and the new Windows 8 OS with tablet support was already in development. According to Stephen Sinofsky and other reputable managers, the Courier booklet was completely out of the line of future Microsoft products, not matching the “roadmap” of software development.

In general, to resolve doubts, Steve Ballmer turned to the most authoritative visionary, whom he knew, that is, to Bill Gates. In the famous estate of Gates, they scheduled a meeting-presentation of the device, where Steve Ballmer himself came, as well as Jay Allard, his boss Robbie Bach (head of Entertainment and Devices) and two people from the Allard team. Participants recall the details of the meeting, which lasted several hours (the source of the information itself remains unknown, oddly enough, the requirement of anonymity was put forward by all 18 Microsoft managers who agreed to the Cnet interview).

They recall that Bill Gates asked to tell exactly how the Courier is positioned for users. The problems started when Bill Gates asked a question, but how will Courier owners receive mail? Hipster Jay Allard replied that his team did not try to make another device for reading mail at all, that the tablet booklet will not become a replacement for a PC or smartphone and will not duplicate the Windows interface, but will become a completely new additional device, that its main purpose is to create content Audience - Creative people, such as architects or writers. “At that moment, Bill seemed to have an allergic reaction,” says one of Courier’s engineering staff. Bill Gates in his characteristic style questioned the logic and meaning of creating such a device.

Gates’s reaction can be understood, because Windows and Office bring the bulk of money to Microsoft, and the Exchange mail server is the cornerstone that connects users together and maintains the integrity of the ecosystem.

Steve Ballmer listened carefully to the discussion and later made a decision. A few weeks later, the Courier project was closed, and a few months later Jay Allard and Robbie Bach filed for resignation , although both said their decision was not related to Courier.