From: Brian Pearce (bpearce_at_cloud9.net)
Date: Mon Mar 24 2003 - 16:55:25 PST
> Depends on which conspiracy theory you subscribe to. Rumor has it that,
> when Microsoft bailed Apple out, part of the agreement was the sharing
> of key technologies.
I believe the only "key technologies" covered by Microsoft's investment
were those already involved in an ongoing lawsuit (I think they were
mostly User Interface issues, and perhaps a part of QuickTime) which
was settled as part of the deal. (There's lots of information about
that here:
<http://www.archaic-apples.com/
index.php?op=list&category=Misc&subcategory=Microsoft%20Lawsuit>)
By the way, Microsoft wasn't "bailing out" Apple by any means; despite
press reports and speculation that the company was on the edge of
bankruptcy, Apple was still in sound financial condition when Steve
Jobs returned. (The comapny had many problems it was in the process of
addressing, but a lack of cash wasn't one of them.) Microsoft's
investment was essentially a PR maneuver designed to counter the bad
press. (And it paid off handsomely years later when Microsoft sold the
Apple stock it purchased at a healthy profit.)
BRIAN/bpearce_at_cloud9.net
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