Microsoft gave a similar infusion of cash to Corel at around the same time. Through very adept dealing they managed to leverage that investment, essentially fo

Microsoft gave a similar infusion of cash to Corel at around the same time. Through very adept dealing they managed to leverage that investment, essentially forcing the board to accept a buyout from Vector (a VC company partly owned by Paul Allen). MS took a huge loss on the deal ($125 million spent, sold their shares to Vector for $13 million), but Vector made an absolute killing. I have no doubt in my mind that this was the plan for Apple as well. Whoever managed that deal on the Apple side must have been on their toes. Of course, the investment paid off handsomely for MS, but I'm quite sure that this wasn't their intent. So while I think it is true that Apple required the cash infusion they got, they managed the situation masterfully. Whether or not they could have secured funding some other way, we'll never know because they took MS's money.