12 years ago today, Steve Jobs delivered a keynote in Boston where he announced a number of new initiatives with its ole’ rival Microsoft and an end to the legal battle over Apple’s allegations that Microsoft illegally copied the “look and feel” of the Mac OS.
In the video below, a non-turtleneck clad Jobs announced that Microsoft and Apple had reached a cross licensing agreement whereby each would be free to license each others existing patents and any future patents filed for the next 5 years. In addition, Jobs noted that Apple would make Internet Explorer the default browser on the Mac (which resulted in a hilarious round of “boos” from the audience), and in return, Microsoft would pledge to release versions of Microsoft Office for the Mac for the next 5 years, and that it would also purchase $150 million in Apple Stock and not sell it for at least 3 years.
What’s amusing about the video below is just how anti-Microsoft the crowd is, and it really takes you back to a time when hatred for Microsoft was a lot more common amongst Apple fans than it is today. About 4:45 seconds into the video, Bill Gates appears via satellite to discuss Microsoft’s new initiatives with Apple and the crowd reacts as if they’ve seen the devil himself. Man, what a time to be a Mac fan!
Soon thereafter, Jobs said what can arguably be probably be classified as one of the most salient and important statements in Apple’s history.
And if we want to move forward and see Apple healthy and prospering again, we have to let go a few things, here. We have to let go of this notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft has to lose. We have to embrace the notion that for Apple to win, Apple has to do a really good job… the era of setting this up as a competition between Apple and Microsoft is over as far as I’m concerned.
For anyone too young to remember, the anti-Microsoft sentiment in the 90’s was palpable for Apple fans, and for many, their love of Apple was only rivaled by their hatred for all things Microsoft. Steve Jobs was keenly aware that Apple couldn’t keep on chasing Microsoft Windows forever. He correctly pointed out that Microsoft had already won the OS wars. And with that mindset, Jobs helped steer Apple into new directions over the next few years as he oversaw development of the iMac, iPod, and eventually the iPhone.
August 7th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Steve is a brilliant man. Today we can see why.
August 8th, 2009 at 9:13 pm
IF, “in order for Apple to win, Microsoft has to loose” philosophy that Steve touts as over as far as he is concerned is true, then why the constant jabs at Microsoft? Banners that say “Redmond, start your photocopiers!” and the “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” tv commercials?
I’ll agree that Steve is a brilliant man, but I bet he must have thought to himself some twelve years ago, that he knows how General Lee felt when he surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox CH, VA in 1865 ending the South’s dream of Independence.
Did anybody do a microphone spectrum of Steve’s mic to see the sound waves coming off Steve’s mouth as he ground his teeth.
Now, things are better for Apple and that is good. Now Steve can call up Microsoft and say, …
August 9th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Yeah, but Apple’s increasing market share is coming at Mafia$oft’s expense. Hence, a win. M$ isn’t going anywhere soon, but if they dumped their losing product lines like XBox and the Zune, they will last a lot longer.