Microsoft & Apple - Arranged Competitors?

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TheCorm

Diamond Member
Nov 5, 2000
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Hi,

I was recently told that Microsoft have a fair amount of shares in Apple and that they are keeping Apple around so that they have some competition and do not appear to be a monopoly.

And now that Linux is growing well, when this becomes big enough Microsoft will stop "supporting" Apple as it were and have Linux as their competitor.

Meaning Mac's could be on their way out over the next decade. Any thoughts or further info on this?

Cheers,

Corm
 
Spike

Spike

Diamond Member
Aug 27, 2001
6,770
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I was recently told that Microsoft have a fair amount of shares in Apple and that they are keeping Apple around so that they have some competition and do not appear to be a monopoly.

I am a little skeptical about that... got any links or proof?
 
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PCHO

Senior member
Apr 3, 2001
403
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Well I know Microsoft helped Apple in a time of need in order to benefit themselves. As for any underlying reasons like the one stated above I could not tell you although it is a believable M.O. for Microsoft. Wouldnt mind seeing Apple go down, they dont benefit me.
 
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gopunk

Lifer
Jul 7, 2001
29,239
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just a theory, but i think ms is helping apple because they want time to get mac users dependant on ms software, like office and internet explorer.
 
Spike

Spike

Diamond Member
Aug 27, 2001
6,770
1
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whoa, MS is helping apple? since when? and how are they helping them? I am very curious about this
 
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Nemesis77

Diamond Member
Jun 21, 2001
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MS invested in Apple, in return, Apple chose IE as the default web-browser. Also, when Apple made Quicktime available on Windows, MS threatened to kill Office for Mac unless they stop shipping QT for Win (it threatened Windows Media Player). Apple called their bluff and MS backed-off.
 
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mattyrug

Golden Member
Sep 25, 2000
1,162
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If I remember correctly, MS has something like 3 or 4 % of Apple's stock shares. They bailed 'em out when they almost died, right after Jobs came back. Search the Time Magazine website, I have that issue around somewhere. If I finkd it maybe I'll scan it in.

There are a whole bunch of great MS apps on the Mac. They sink money into it to keep the user base there. They'd be stupid not to. Office for X is pretty damm cool, i gotta say. IMHO *Right now* IE5 is the best browser on the Mac to date. It definately edged out Mozilla with the release of IE5 Mac Edition.
 
Spike

Spike

Diamond Member
Aug 27, 2001
6,770
1
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MS invested in Apple, in return, Apple chose IE as the default web-browser. Also, when Apple made Quicktime available on Windows, MS threatened to kill Office for Mac unless they stop shipping QT for Win (it threatened Windows Media Player). Apple called their bluff and MS backed-off.

Whoa, I did not know that. I think MS should just kill apple and be over with it, I don't want to deal with them anymore :) j/k, apples are fine. If they ever capture any signifigant portion of the market I may have to worry, but not till then :)

-spike
 
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gopunk

Lifer
Jul 7, 2001
29,239
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i dont' mind apple... i think that itanium notebook is pretty slick. i'd really like to see real get killed off though.
 
Spike

Spike

Diamond Member
Aug 27, 2001
6,770
1
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yah, I am not a big fan of Real either, but they do employ a number of people here in Seattle, so that is kinda nice... now if they could just make some software that worked well and was not sooo ANNOYING!!! :)
 
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mattyrug

Golden Member
Sep 25, 2000
1,162
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Link to the original story
Link to exactly what you posted!




<< MS invested in Apple, in return, Apple chose IE as the default web-browser. Also, when Apple made Quicktime available on Windows, MS threatened to kill Office for Mac unless they stop shipping QT for Win (it threatened Windows Media Player). Apple called their bluff and MS backed-off. >>



I thik that's just speculation. OS8.x OS9.x and OSX have, and still ship with Netscape and IE. As for Quicktime, I believe that was just a rumor, but I could be wrong.
 
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Passions

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2000
6,855
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IE for mac just OWNZ IE for pc, straight up. If you have used it, u know what I mean.
 
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n0cmonkey

Elite Member
Jun 10, 2001
42,936
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Apple will be around for a while. They got quite a few *NEW* sales (as in never before apple customers) with the release of OS X.
 
Spike

Spike

Diamond Member
Aug 27, 2001
6,770
1
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Apple will be around for a while.

I sure hope they are, I have to save enough to get one of those fancy new desklamps they are making. The head even swivels!!! :D
 
Snapster

Snapster

Diamond Member
Oct 14, 2001
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They're not really in 'direct' competition anyway. I'd like them to be, might force M$ to be a little more thoughtful in what they do.
 
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C'DaleRider

Guest
Jan 13, 2000
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<< they have some competition and do not appear to be a monopoly >>



I just wonder why MS would have to have anyone around seeing as being a monopoly is NOT illegal. The illegal problems MS has been having surrounds its actions to restrict others from becoming competitors. Monopolies abound in our life........look at your electric company, natural gas company, water supplier (it's most likely illegal for you to put in your own well if you're served by a "public" water service.

Monopolies in and of themselves are not illegal.
 
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hans007

Lifer
Feb 1, 2000
20,212
18
81
microsoft invested $200 mil in apple which kept them alive. they actually made a lot of money on that investement when apple stock started soaring after the imac came out. I think i read that they sold the stock though, as apple is not a very good long term buy, you'd have to be an idiot to believe they will last forever. in another thread here, the only thing the mac people could come up with that the mac was better at was final cut pro. And i was convinced that it was better and easier to use. but c'mon ONE APP.


Microsoft also invested in corel. to keep corel office going. Microsoft is just hedging their bets. They probably wont be taken down on monopoly charges any time soon, but having these companies in business would help them in that case.
 
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TheCorm

Diamond Member
Nov 5, 2000
4,326
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Ahh....I still think there is some conspriracy theory going on :D

I didn't say a monopoly is illegal but I dunno how it is in the US but monopolies are not generally favoured for obvious reasons, they often are moaned about such as Microsoft and British Telecom.

Microsoft probably were thinking financially when they invested in Mac but I still think that there was a hint of keeping them alive to have a visible competitor on the market.

Corm
 
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Nemesis77

Diamond Member
Jun 21, 2001
7,329
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<< Microsoft also invested in corel. to keep corel office going. >>



As it happens, right after MS invested in Corel, Corel dropped it's Linux-business....

 
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PlatinumGold

Lifer
Aug 11, 2000
23,168
0
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Also,

MS Office for Macintosh dominates that segment of the market. u figure gates easily made back his 200 mill investment already.

 
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n0cmonkey

Elite Member
Jun 10, 2001
42,936
1
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No company lasts forever. Just as Microsoft will die eventually, so will Apple. Get over it.

hans007, Why does Apple have to do anything better? The fact some people prefer Apple/Macs over PCs should be a good enough reason for them to be alive and well. Its very similar to how I prefer a UNIX-like system to Windows. Is it better at everything? No. Is it better at anything? Maybe. Why use it? I like it better.
 
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tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,954
577
126
I wouldn't exactly call Apple a competitor to Microsoft. Apple sells like, what, 30 or 40 computers every year?
 
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