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But importantly, the government went after Microsoft for anti-trust and actually won even if they didn't break them up. It's impossible to really know the count

But importantly, the government went after Microsoft for anti-trust and actually won even if they didn't break them up. It's impossible to really know the counter-factual of what would have happened if it wasn't sued for anti-trust. But, you can safely say it wouldn't have thrown a lifeline to Apple with the investment and it may have been much more aggressive in these emerging spaces. I still think it was still not fundamentally "ready" for the Internet and mobile but I do think that lawsuit made it much, much friendlier to newcomers.

scarface74 9y ago
But, you can safely say it wouldn't have thrown a lifeline to Apple with the investment and it may have been much more aggressive in these emerging spaces. Microsoft "saving" Apple is apocryphal at best. The $250 million that MS invested wouldn't have made a difference when Apple lost a billion the same quarter and spent $100 million buying out PowerComputings Mac license. Microsoft tried aggressively to get into mobile, search, and the music business. They failed at execution.