From: "Wm. Neal Lewis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
And that appears to be the problem. Right to look over Steve Job's shoulder
at everything he does, is what Bill Gates bought with his money in Apple.
Until that relationship is ended Apple is basically a giant R&D shop for
Bill Gates.
I feel compelled to mention that Microsoft does not now nor has it had for some years now ANY financial stake in Apple Computer.
In 1996, Microsoft bought $150M worth of *non-voting* stock as down payment on a much larger patent-infringement settlement (said to be in the neighborhood of $500M) and as a show of confidence in the then-troubled company. They also signed an agreement promising to develop Microsoft Office for five years (which expired in 2001).
They have long since sold the stock they had (at a HEFTY profit I might add), and the Mac Business Unit of MS continues to thrive (and is said to be one of the most profitable parts of the company!) and has publicly promised at least one future version of Office (and have no reason not to continue to develop the product for the foreseeable future).
I'm not totally disputing what Mr. Lewis is saying in his comment (particularly the "look over his shoulder," since that is exactly what the Apple/MS cross-license patent agreement allows), but the business arrangement between Apple and MS is a complicated one (the compete in some areas and cooperate in others) which is getting more complicated all the time, and many times the facts are buried in myth and misinformation. If I had a quarter for every time I've heard someone claim that MS bought Apple or MS owns a (variable size) chunk of Apple, I could easily afford at 23" Cinema Display. Just setting the record straight.
_Chas_
http://www.orlandocitybeat.com The one-stop guide to Orlando art, culture, nightlife and more.
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