Usually, when you launch a new product, you have no idea what the consumer response to it will be. Sure, you can gauge whether or not there is demand for a product, but to call something brand new "the biggest product in history" requires a level of confidence that not too many CEOs will show publicly. One such CEO who usually seemed confident in public was the late Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of a little tech company you might have heard about, Apple.
The OG iPhone was prototyped with a plastic screen
Many have wondered whether Jobs knew exactly what he had in the iPhone. To say that the first touchscreen smartphone changed the world is an understatement. Just travel to a big city, like New York, and watch how most of the people walking the streets have their heads down, looking at their phones. The closest thing to the iPhone's impact on this planet was how businesses embraced the BlackBerry two-way pager, and that isn't even a close comparison.
The iPhone was originally going to use a plastic screen; the prototypes used one. But Jobs was incensed at the scratches that were created by objects-like keys-that were in a user's pocket rubbing up against the phone. Jobs was now in a bind as he needed to find a company that could supply Apple with scratch-resistant glass for the first-generation iPhone.
Steve Jobs was looking for a firm to supply Apple with scratch-resistant glass
Wendell Weeks, president and CEO of Corning, recently spoke with Fortune's "Leadership Next" podcast about how Corning ended up getting involved in the production of the iPhone. It turns out that Jobs had gone to see Weeks as the latter tried to sell Apple on a product that used a green laser to turn a smartphone into a projector. Remember, this was when smartphones meant devices like the Motorola Q and the Samsung BlackJack.
Is the iPhone one of the most important new products ever made?
Yes. Look how the world changed after its release.
62.5%
No. There are other really important products.
37.5%
The response from Apple's CEO was typical Jobs: "That’s the dumbest idea I’ve ever effing heard in my life," he said. That is when Jobs realized that Corning might be able to solve the iPhone display problem Jobs had. But what Steve wanted was a huge ask. He needed the mass production of a scratch-resistant glass within six months which is when Apple promised the release of the iPhone in January 2007.
Weeks informed Jobs about a new material Corning had invented called Gorilla Glass, but Corning hadn't yet invested in the facilities needed to produce Gorilla Glass at scale. Corning's board of directors suggested that Weeks tell Jobs to find a second supplier since Corning couldn't possibly fill Apple's needs for Gorilla Glass by itself. Jobs told Weeks that Corning would do all of it and Weeks replied by telling Steve that there was no way that Corning could do it.
A moment that adds to the legend of Steve Jobs
That resulted in one of those moments that adds to Jobs' legend. He asked Weeks if he knew what his problem was and the Corning CEO and president said he didn't know. Jobs proceeded to tell him. "You’re afraid. You know, you’re afraid. I’m going to launch the biggest product in history, and I’m not going to be able to do it because you failed, and I’m going to eviscerate you."
Steve Jobs puts down the "usual suspects" on January 7th, 2007, the day he unveiled the iPhone. | Image credit-Unknown
Jobs continued, "You are putting your reputation [first]. You’re worried about you looking bad, and you’re keeping your people from greatness. Imagine how they’re going to feel—the folks that are working in that plant in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, all your investors … you’re putting yourself above them and your company." Weeks admitted that Jobs was right and Corning rebuilt its Cold War-era Harrodsburg, Kentucky facility and used it to produce the glass screens found on the original iPhone. The rest is history.
Apple has committed to the use of Corning's U.S. produced cover glass for iPhone and Apple Watch
Last August, Apple announced a commitment valued at $2.5 billion with Corning that will result in Corning manufacturing all iPhone and Apple Watch cover glass at that facility in the U.S. Apple's current CEO Tim Cook called it "The largest and most advanced production line ever created for smartphone glass. Cook went on to say that "any customer anywhere in the world who buys a new iPhone or Apple Watch will be holding precision glass made right here in Kentucky."
It's funny how little things like Jobs comment to Weeks ended up creating a business for Corning that has generated billions of dollars of revenue for the company. Recalling the event, Weeks, said, "Most of us view risk as all the ways that that you personally can look like an idiot." Steve Jobs, Weeks noted, "looks at things very straightforwardly and is damn fearless."
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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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