3 ms·

I'd agree with that, but I imagine not for the reasons I presume you mean. Microsoft's small investment ($150M) in Apple was really to prop them up just enough

by jgw 15y ago

I'd agree with that, but I imagine not for the reasons I presume you mean. Microsoft's small investment ($150M) in Apple was really to prop them up just enough to avoid Apple's bankruptcy. Apple may very well have died had they not received that cash injection, and Microsoft, facing pressure from the DoJ regarding their monopoly, could point to this barely-hanging-on company as viable competition. It is interesting to ponder, in that context, that Apple likely owes its existence to that act.

Anechoic 15y ago
Microsoft's small investment ($150M) in Apple was really to prop them up just enough to avoid Apple's bankruptcy Apple had over $1 billion in cash at the time of the investment. You can argue that the investment and continued development of Mac Office help shore up investor confidence, but the cash made little difference to Apple's bottom line. http://apps.shareholder.com/sec/viewerContent.aspx?companyid=AAPL&docid=107083 http://apps.shareholder.com/sec/viewerContent.aspx?companyid...
YooLi 15y ago
"It is interesting to ponder, in that context, that Apple likely owes its existence to that act." Except it doesn't.
- recoiledsnake 15y ago
  We have a direct quote from Steve Jobs' official biographer from Jobs' himself, unless you mean that the Office/IE development was more important than the money. The money seems to be so that MS felt that Apple's success was tied in to it's own, and thus won't skimp on the IE and Office development make them to par with their Windows versions.
- jgw 15y ago
  http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2009/08/dayintech_0806/ http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2009/08/dayintech_0806/ http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19970806&slug=2553374 http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=199... "The unexpected revelation by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in a keynote speech at MacWorld prompted gasps of disbelief and loud boos from the audience of thousands of Mac users and software developers." Sounds like they still haven't subsided.

by jgw 15y ago

Anechoic 15y ago

Microsoft's small investment ($150M) in Apple was really to prop them up just enough to avoid Apple's bankruptcy Apple had over $1 billion in cash at the time of the investment. You can argue that the investment and continued development of Mac Office help shore up investor confidence, but the cash made little difference to Apple's bottom line. http://apps.shareholder.com/sec/viewerContent.aspx?companyid=AAPL&docid=107083 http://apps.shareholder.com/sec/viewerContent.aspx?companyid...

YooLi 15y ago

"It is interesting to ponder, in that context, that Apple likely owes its existence to that act." Except it doesn't.

recoiledsnake 15y ago
We have a direct quote from Steve Jobs' official biographer from Jobs' himself, unless you mean that the Office/IE development was more important than the money. The money seems to be so that MS felt that Apple's success was tied in to it's own, and thus won't skimp on the IE and Office development make them to par with their Windows versions.
jgw 15y ago
http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2009/08/dayintech_0806/ http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2009/08/dayintech_0806/ http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19970806&slug=2553374 http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=199... "The unexpected revelation by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in a keynote speech at MacWorld prompted gasps of disbelief and loud boos from the audience of thousands of Mac users and software developers." Sounds like they still haven't subsided.