The truth is, as much as we all revel in the Microsoft v. Apple "war," both companies benefit mutually from each others' work. It's a well-known fact that the Mac Business Unit is one of, if not the, most profitable division at Microsoft. Similarly, it's an obvious (though often unstated) fact that interest in the Mac OS would plummet dramatically if Microsoft stopped developing Office for the Mac.

And although there have been plenty shots across the bow from top executives at both companies, they also have a good deal of admiration for each others. See as evidence Steve Jobs' welcoming MacBU people to the stage at multiple MWSFs, and Bill Gates' statements to Engadget and other rags stating his impression over some thing or another that Apple has executed well.

At a higher, abstract level, both companies have divergent views of how the next 10 to 20 years of personal computing should evolve. But it's essential to recognize that both companies work forward with a close eye to the other's work, which both gives suggestions for improvement of their own products, and also gives cues for new ideas they might not have otherwise considered.

If the past week wasn't enough to convince you that the two companies depend on each other, I can't imagine what else it would take.

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Microsoft put more on their website about the 30th anniversary than Apple put on its own website!!

thats somewhat appalling!

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I'm telling you, by the time leopard rolls out, Windows will be able to run within OS X the way OS 9 can run in Classic mode. And, when that is announced, The Mac Business Unit of Microsoft will be on stage with Steve because they will have played a key roll in the implementation. I have a feeling that all this - the Intel switch, boot camp... - was planned out long ago; longer than anyone realizes.

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that's the ugliest birthday card I've ever seen, what font is that? Tahoma!

can't they hire some designers over in Redmond, i suppose their all busy going through vista with a magnifying glass and a dozen lame excuses.

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buggy. click on that image is supposed to close the window and present us normal MBU page (using javascript link, indeed), but it doesn't work. what a bitter irony.

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The obligatory comment about Microsoft's investment in Apple:

MSFT bought $150 million dollars of non-voting stock as a show of good faith. It had no material impact on Apple's viability as a business.

After the 5-year holding period, MSFT sold the stock and made a substantial profit, since Apple stock had appreciated considerably. In the long run, MSFT got more out of the investment than Apple did.

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They say "Rock on" but show a photo of a disco ball. And they wonder why they can't sell music.

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ecne, the TUAW post links directly to a page that is intended to be opened in a popup window. When you click on it, it calls the well-known window.close() method, which for security reasons only works when called from a window that was itself generated using the window.open() method -- that is, a popup window. If you go to http://www.microsoft.com/mac/ and follow the "birthday card" link from there to view it in context, it works just fine.

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I love that microsoft's idea of a party involves a mirror ball from the 70's.....

I bet the boys in redmond really know how to letloose.....

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And what about the release of Office in universal binaries? Any date?

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They got the font wrong. : ^ _

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"...it's an obvious (though often unstated) fact that interest in the Mac OS would plummet dramatically if Microsoft stopped developing Office for the Mac."

This is overstated not often unstated. It's also not a fact at all. It's an opinion and NOTHING more. Show me some cold hard numbers before you start turning speculation into "fact."

"...that infusion of cash a few years back...."

A few years back? Wasn't that eight years ago? That a lot more than a "few." Somebody else already pointed out that the cash was a relatively small amount that had little effect on Apple as a business.

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Happy Birthday Apple! Thanks for bringing class, style, power, reliability and fun to the world. Who knows what I'd be doing if you didn't?

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Guess MS is now kicking themselves for letting Gatordae grab the perfect TV spot for Mac Windows XP ...

"Is It In You?"

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