SO says the man who completely missed this coming. I’m not sure I’d put much stock in his opinion.
I think perhaps you're confused. Gates and Ballmer are the ones who repeatedly missed "things coming", from the internet to smartphones and beyond.
Ray Ozzie has been in front of things for decades. He's a visionary and innovator. He went to Microsoft when they bought his company Groove Networks in 2005. He took over Gates' position as Chief Architect, and immediately started warning the management at Microsoft that they were in deep trouble, way behind the times and changes, and that they had better get their act together quick and change.
He was pushed out because Ballmer and others didn't like what he was saying. It scared them to think about change. Same old story, same old Microsoft.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Ozzie
I would trust Ozzie's opinion over that of Ballmer's any day, and over Gates' almost any day.
Then again, Your Mileage May Vary. Especially if you're a Microsoft fanboy, which I sometimes think may be the case. :)