Tech history is full of strange moments, but few are as unintentionally hilarious as Microsoft’s 2010 ‘funeral parade.’
Meant to celebrate the launch of Windows Phone 7, the over-the-top spectacle featured hearses, costumes, and a mock burial of the iPhone and BlackBerry.
What was supposed to be a cheeky victory lap ended up looking more like a comedy skit—and a reminder of just how wrong predictions can be.
That year, Microsoft was preparing to launch its long-awaited Windows Phone 7, the mobile operating system that executives believed could finally challenge Apple’s iPhone and BlackBerry’s once-dominant handsets.
The software had been announced months earlier and was met with cautious optimism, but enthusiasm inside the company was far more dramatic.
To celebrate the platform’s completion, Microsoft staged a full-blown parade on its Redmond campus. What began as an internal celebration quickly became infamous once photos leaked online.
The theme of the parade was clear: the supposed “death” of the iPhone and BlackBerry. Employees dressed in elaborate costumes marched alongside not one but two actual hearses, each representing a fallen rival.
One hearse carried a mock coffin for Apple’s iPhone, the other for BlackBerry, as if the future of smartphones had already been decided. The surreal procession looked more like a Halloween parody than a corporate milestone.
Oddly enough, Android—the rising competitor that would go on to dominate the market—was left out of the burial, as though it posed no serious threat at all.
The photos that remain from that day show a mix of pride and awkwardness. Some employees appear to be having fun with the theatrics, while others look as if they already sensed the stunt might age poorly.
In hindsight, the timing could not have been worse. The iPhone was only beginning to reshape the smartphone world, and Android was on the verge of explosive growth.
Windows Phone 7, meanwhile, failed to gain traction despite Microsoft’s enormous resources.
The very parade that had been meant to symbolize the iPhone’s burial is now remembered as a strange and almost comical misstep—a reminder that predicting the future of technology is never as simple as it seems.
Here’s Microsoft’s statement on the parade: There’s been a fair amount of online commentary about today’s Windows Phone team party to celebrate the completion of Windows Phone 7.
These kind of “ship” parties are common throughout the industry. It’s a great way for teams that have worked overtime to create a kick-ass product blow off steam and have a little fun.
The event included music, games, food and a light-hearted parade to the soccer field where the party was held.
The parade included an impromptu marching band of Windows Phone team members, roller skaters, a unicycle, costumes, and a few home-made floats, including a hearse for competitors. It was all in good fun and no actual competitors were harmed in the course of the celebration.
(Photo credit: BusinessInsider / Flickr via trioculus / Pinterest).