[sosumi11]

The joke is that Microsoft continues to win whether it does well or Apple does well. They make money off of every Mac running Office and (obviously) bootcamp, and make money off IOS because patent agreements. Last I heard, they also still own a bunch of Apple common stock. None of this even touches the fact that there are elements to Microsoft's bailout of Apple a decade ago that have been kept completely confidential.

Apple and Microsoft had a five year cross-licensing agreement from 1997-2002. and Microsoft sold all of the Apple stock years ago. In addition to the cross licensing (share of tech), Apple agreed to have Internet Explorer to be the default browser on all Macs. Under the terms of the agreement, Apple offered to share the technology of OS X (Unix and now iOS) with Microsoft but Microsoft refused.

There are no iOS/Microsoft patent agreements. None. Zilch.

Microsoft needs to get Office to iOS in order to keep the revenue stream alive. Everyone that has a PC has some version of Office, thanks primarily to Microsoft's reverse compatibility policies. Microsoft could charge $100 a pop for an iOS version and people will buy it.

[swyost]

Apple and Microsoft had a five year cross-licensing agreement from 1997-2002. and Microsoft sold all of the Apple stock years ago. In addition to the cross licensing (share of tech), Apple agreed to have Internet Explorer to be the default browser on all Macs. Under the terms of the agreement, Apple offered to share the technology of OS X (Unix and now iOS) with Microsoft but Microsoft refused.

There are no iOS/Microsoft patent agreements. None. Zilch.

Microsoft needs to get Office to iOS in order to keep the revenue stream alive. Everyone that has a PC has some version of Office, thanks primarily to Microsoft's reverse compatibility policies. Microsoft could charge $100 a pop for an iOS version and people will buy it.

Do your homework better please - don't just cut and paste select articles. Microsoft has multiple patents that apply to both Android and IOS. Some of the patents are ones Microsoft owns and others are patents of companies they acquired that are still technically in other companies' names. They profit either way and neither Apple nor Google deny it. They make money off a huge array of devices sold. There were also several levels of technology sharing as part of the bailout. On the money front, the last I heard a few years back the investment of 150 or 250 million investment in Apple was worth 18 billion in 2008. As far as what else they got out of the deal, the big thing was Office for Mac and (by extension) Office for IOS. Apple knows they need Office for IOS as much as Microsoft needs it. It is a stumbling block to business adoption of the iPad and is a foothold for Microsoft for cross platform adoption of office in mobile environments. The two companies are also far more capable of working together than either is willing to work with Google.

[sosumi11]

Do your homework better please - don't just cut and paste select articles.

There was no copy and paste involved.

Microsoft has multiple patents that apply to both Android and IOS.

Microsoft made a license agreement with HTC. Not Apple.

On the money front, the last I heard a few years back the investment of 150 or 250 million investment in Apple was worth 18 billion in 2008.

What you heard was it WOULD be worth $4 billion. If they held on to it. But they did not.

In Apple's 2003 10-K filing with the SEC, the company revealed that Microsoft's $150 million investment bought the company 150,000 shares of Series A nonvoting convertible preferred stock at $1,000 per share. Microsoft had the option after August 5, 2000 to convert those preferred shares, for $8.25 per share, into common stock. In 2000, Microsoft converted a little under half its shares into 9 million shares of common stock. It then converted the remainder in 2001 into another 9.2 million shares. All told, Microsoft spent a little over $151 million to acquire 18.2 million shares of Apple stock, for roughly $8.31 per share. Microsoft confirmed that it sold all of its AAPL holdings some time ago, and likely did so at a healthy profit—after all, AAPL has traded significantly higher than $8 for many years. But what if Microsoft had held on to that investment just a little longer?

As far as what else they got out of the deal, the big thing was Office for Mac and (by extension) Office for IOS. Apple knows they need Office for IOS as much as Microsoft needs it. It is a stumbling block to business adoption of the iPad and is a foothold for Microsoft for cross platform adoption of office in mobile environments. The two companies are also far more capable of working together than either is willing to work with Google.

Not this time around. Apple doesn't NEED business adaption. Apple is selling a gazillion iOS devices a quarter. iOS already has iWorks which opens and exports into Office formats. The average consumer doesn't need a full featured spreadsheet app.

The iPad is growing without Microsoft's suite and it still will. Unlike 1986 when Apple knew that it needed Excel & Word for the Mac platform in order for corporate adaption. Sculley feared that so much he handed Gates Apple's patents in exchange for support.

When Jobs came back in 1997, he conceded the enterprise to Microsoft. Consumer electronics software stunk. Jobs' plan was to go after the consumer. Win the consumer and the enterprise will follow.

That seems to be working.

[s7khan]

I agree with you as much as i like RIM and I am advocate of Blackberry and Playbook lets not joke ourselves. Apple could buy RIM tomorrow and it would still has Billions of dollars of cash left.

Last I heard, Apple had just over $100 billion, so after buying RIM outright in of course hypothetical situation, Apple would still have over $90 billion.

If only governments were in as good shape as Apple

[JAGWIRE]

Ill be happy onec RIM is back to around the 30$ mark again. This rumor about Samsung has happened before and last time it bumped up stock too. i dont think that BB10 devices is going to save RIM in the stock market. look how much the market grew after PBOS 2.0 was launched...

[Rootbrian]

Negativity is almost always beaten out by positivity. SPREAD THE LOVE! Disspell any rumors and stay HOOKED on Google News. That's what i'll be doing besides checking my social and video networks. GO RIM!!!