As a first contribution to this blog, I would like to address an issue that I have asked on numerous occasions and I've explained several times. The basic question is whether it is true that Microsoft bought Apple Computer back in the distant 1997, and the answer is no.
To understand the time and the agreements that were reached rather we must go back in time, until the early 80's. Although the early Apple with the Apple I and then the Apple II in 1976 and much of 1977 were not particularly bright, little by little, the Apple II was gaining market share and went on to become No. 1 until the arrival of the IBM PC in September 1981. Although the emergence of the IBM computer seized with surprise on the world of microcomputers, Apple actually took several years working in various models that would expand the company's offerings on several fronts. Three computers were designed by Apple, the Apple III, which contained the bar for the Apple II and evolved the concept of this to make it a more professional computer, the Apple Lisa was going to be the jewel in the crown and finally a third project call Macintosh repeatedly was about to be canceled.
Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder and chairman of Apple Computer, working within the group of Lisa, but say that somehow was expelled from the project and ended up running the Macintosh project thus displacing the original founder Jef Raskin. Steve Jobs knew from his experience with the Apple II to what is known as third parties were critical to the success of a computer, ie, the machine is important, but software can sell as many computers as the best hardware. Therefore, it was essential to Jobs that software leaders were carrying when its major programs and create new ones, so The first buyers will feel sufficiently clothed.
So Steve Jobs contacted major software manufacturers at the time, people like Mitchell Kapor, the founder of Lotus and at that time the largest manufacturer of software or Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft Corporation and the leading manufacturer of programming languages \u200b\u200bfor microcomputers (in fact, the Microsoft BASIC was the de facto standard).
As these three projects mentioned, the Apple III had many teething problems by serious design flaws, which were quickly repaired but gave such a bad reputation to the computer that Apple decided to sell the following models of the Apple III under Apple II name.
As the Apple Lisa, was a tremendously ambitious project, but its slow speed and its exorbitant price (nearly $ 10,000 at the time) made very few units were sold. Finally came the last hope of the apple, Apple Macintosh, a computer somewhere between the Apple II and Apple Lisa, which although a great impact achieved through a marketing campaign a very wise sales were so slow in taking off that eventually led the forced departure of Steve Jobs of Apple.
What's more, Microsoft had used the prototype not only for developing Macintosh software for this system, but also to create their own system window that you called Windows and eventually sold in 1985, a year and some after the Macintosh.
Although the first version of Windows was really disastrous, ugly like herself, slow and full of bugs, for the second version of the product quality increased considerably. He was still far from reaching the level of Apple's graphical environment, but from Cupertino made no illusions and realized that it was a matter of time before Microsoft got something that could compete one on one with Mac and therefore sued Microsoft for copyrigth violation.
back to 1984, sales of the original Macintosh was spectacular look like they could achieve the ambitious goals set by Steve Jobs. However, as it passed the year 1984 sales were slowing, leading to a profound crisis at Apple, it was still depending on the Apple II to stay afloat economically and this was beginning to show signs of weakening. Finally, the Macintosh found its killer application with desktop publishing programs, to which was particularly well equipped for its enviable graphical interface. So, Apple soared into the air and, while losing market share rapidly, in Cupertino did not worry since the benefits of the company were amazing.
However, once entered the 90's, the problems really began. After the release of Windows 3.0, Apple's competitive advantage in the field of graphical interfaces was not so great. Yes, MacOS was still better, but not much, so gradually the Windows PCs were replacing the once ubiquitous apple computers in the world of graphic arts.
Apple gave several stumbling trying to find different outlets for your situation, tried his luck with several presidents, partners, technology and sales systems, until finally, in 1997, Steve Jobs, who was outside the company since 1985, returned as CEO Apple interim following the purchase of this company NeXT, which Jobs was the founder.
With NeXT, Apple bought a new operating system stable and very strong which would retire the old, dilapidated and obsolete MacOS 7, but still would take some years to see this investment pay off with MacOS X. However, in 1997 the main problems were not in Apple MacOS X but that for years did nothing but lose money, partners and users. Even it was rumored that no bank was willing to finance and business, providing its bankruptcy shortly. Steve Jobs had to do something if I wanted to see how Apple is definitely sinking. Y Microsoft entered there. As a first step, Apple needed to confirm the major Mac developers to continue supporting the platform. Jobs met with each and every one of the presidents of the leading software for Mac to show their support publicly. The idea was very clear: Mac software is not going to stop investing in the platform is not a waste of money.
Curiously, something that apparently many people do not know, the leading manufacturer of software for Mac, aside from Apple itself, was in 1997, and continues to be Microsoft. Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel for Mac came out well before Windows, and then ported to the environment windows.
keynote So in August 1997 in Boston, famous for among other things, Bill Gates appears via video on a giant screen, announcing the agreement between both companies. The agreement included the following points:
- Microsoft is committed to developing its office suite Microsoft Office for Mac for a period of 5 years. All major upgrade of Office for Windows should also be followed by a major upgrade of Office for Mac and compatible with your version of Microsoft Windows
- adquiería an Apple shareholder package valued at $ 150 million. These actions, however, were without voting rights, so that Microsoft could interfere at any time in the direction of retired Apple Apple
- all claims for violation of copyright forever (remember the demands of 1987 for Windows? Well mainly those).
- All Macintosh computers from that time would come standard with the Internet Explorer browser, although, unlike the Windows version, would not be under the same operating system so that may be erased and installed like any other that .
Basically, the agreements reached were these. Now, the explanation of what benefited each point the two companies.
Microsoft Office was the de facto standard in the world of office software packages (and still is, by the way), so lack of a version of it compatible with Windows would have been a really really hard blow to Apple, for all who used his office computer to have very few issues reason to buy a Macintosh. However, this commitment was not a concern to Microsoft, as the section of Office for Mac has always been profitable, and in fact after completion of 5 years of the agreement Microsoft has continued to develop at the same time, the Office for Mac and the Windows. Simply Apple with this movement what I was getting was written undertaking and therefore the consumer peace of mind, while for Microsoft all remains the same.
With the purchase of the shares of Apple was probably the reason why many thought Apple had been bought by Microsoft. Nothing is further from reality, but it does Microsoft bought a big piece of Apple at no time had control of the company, which remained his competition (all competition that can deliver a market share of 3 or 4% compared over 90%). In any case, Microsoft on today does not retain these shares, although I have no indication of when they were sold and to whom.
What was up with this Apple? So basically stabilize the price of the company. His actions did not lift his head from a very early 90's and every time there were fewer investors willing to take risks with Apple, so they have the financial muscle behind back could do (and actually did) that shareholders gave him a chance.
And bring Microsoft Internet Explorer on all Macs? Since it is a free program, what is the benefit to Microsoft or Apple? Apple simply nothing except to make sure that Microsoft would continue developing it instead of leaving it forgotten. In fact, until the output of the Tiger operating system in May 2005 all computers Mac kept coming standard with Internet Explorer installed.
A Microsoft at that time was interested in this deal because the browser war was waged and Netscape still going ahead with its Netscape Navigator. All Windows computers were taking standard Microsoft Internet Explorer, and with this movement Gates was assured that all Macs too, so that although people could still use the Netscape browser would not have much incentive to do so since account already had a browser installed on your computer, the Internet Explorer. I do not know how the Mac market share rivalry and this move was beneficial for Microsoft, but in any case Internet Explorer was gaining market share by leaps and bounds so that Netscape was forced to sue the Redmond giant. Before, when I mentioned how Microsoft could benefit buy 150 million shares that were not eligible for practically nothing, if the situation all together to understand why Microsoft's Bill Gates was interesting investment. When Microsoft was sued for monopoly, one of the reasons advanced by the defense was that what kind of Microsoft monopoly was almost selflessly helped if even its main competitor, Apple, to stay afloat and continue to compete against him. Consider that Linux who then was not considered competition for Microsoft, let alone Apple. And if we consider that there was talk of splitting the company into several different sub-companies, investing $ 150 million was almost chump change next to what Microsoft was playing with his accusations of monopoly
So you know, If anyone again that Microsoft bought Apple, you can safely say that is totally false equivocate. In any case, I leave when announcing the agreement between Microsoft and Apple, to see what you think:
0 comments:
Post a Comment