Microsoft idea to ‘harm’ Apple
p2pnet.net news:- In 1997, Bill and the Boyz thought about dropping Office for Mac to cause “a great deal of harm” to Apple, says evidence emerging from the Iowa class action which Microsoft paid $330 million to settle.
According to InformationWeek, an email from Bill Gates to then Mac Business Unit chief Ben Waldman discusses morale in the Mac Office development camp, complaining of poor sales of Office which, it says, was caused by a lack of focus among reps.
And, “It describes dumping development of the product as: ‘The strongest bargaining point we have, as doing so will do a great deal of harm to Apple immediately’,” says the story, adding:
“The document also confirms that Microsoft at the time saw Office for the Mac as a chance to test new features in the product before they appeared in Windows, ‘because it is so much less critical to our business than Windows’.”
In the class action, lawyers received some $59.4 million, and the six users who brought the case each got $5,000.
Also See:
$330 million – Microsoft settles Iowa case, February 15, 2007
InformationWeek – Mac Office users were Microsoft ‘guinea pigs’, March 5, 2007
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March 6th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
The **Undisclosed Issue** is Microsoft Theft from Apple
The elephant in the room that all PC coverage isn’t willing to talk
about is that Apple had caught Microsoft red handed stealing
dozens of software applications’ code from Apple and was going
to sue Microsoft. This had the very real possibility that Microsoft
would be unable to ship Windows and many of it’s applications if
an injunction was issued. This would stop Microsoft dead for the
duration of the lawsuits which could be years! There simply was
NO DEFENCE since the code was verbatim. That’s why Bill was so
anxious to find a club to fight Apple with. The thief was caught
at the scene with the weapon in his hand smoking and the
victims blood all over him and the murder caught on video at the
police station. A slam dunk!
Why doesn’t this article mention **the reason** Microsoft
needed some major leverage against Apple?! The reason is that
the truth is so damning that they could never spin this in any
positive way. All the facts mentioned below are public
knowledge from the time but avoided like the plague by the
extremely biased press who fear Microsoft More that death
itself.
At the time of this threat Apple had three dozen lawsuits against
Microsoft ready to go for blatant theft of code like QuickTime
written into their operating system and other products. In cases
like QuikTime the entire application was used verbatim in their
products because they were so far behind they couldn’t compete
so they do what Microsoft always does; steal and extort and
extinguish. This came shortly after Microsoft used threats to try
and have Apple knife the baby or kill QuickTime because
Microsoft couldn’t compete. Apple settled a cross licence deal
where Apple has access to all Microsoft patents and APIs to that
date and for the next five years at no charge and Microsoft had
access to some stolen Apple code already in their products for a
$2 billion payment the purchase of non-voting stock and other
undisclosed items.
Microsoft dodged what would have been a crippling blow since
they would certainly have lost the lawsuits. Apple settled only
because they needed to focus on righting their ship and forging
onward.
Microsoft represented this publicly as saving Apple with buying
a tiny bit of stock worth 3 days cash flow for Apple. Apple at the
time had billions in cash and no debts and had recover from the
overstock write-down already.
Microsoft saw Mac Office as their ONLY bargaining tool and
threatened to kill it and try to kill Apple. Jobs did the responsible
thing and dealt with all issues leaving Apple free to innovate and
move forward. Microsoft continues to steal all Apple innovation
with no qualms and of course Microsoft has NEVER been able to
innovate outside extortion, theft and lies where they are
unparalleled in any industry with the exception of the Mafia.
March 7th, 2007 at 6:08 am
“In the class action, lawyers received some $59.4 million, and the six users who brought the case each got $5,000.”
Lawyers own politics in America. That is why mostl the major presidential contenders are lawyers (Obama, Clinton, Giuliani….), as usual.
Lawyers control Congress.
Lawyers designed the legal system and all the laws.
Lawyers own the jusdicial system outright.
All judges are lawyers.
What is to be expected other than lawyers’s getting the lion’s share…alaways.?
We call this democracy.
March 7th, 2007 at 8:29 am
The email is quite clear. The goal is not to harm Apple. the goal is to use the threat for leverage.