From: "Steven J Saunders" Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy,comp.sys.amiga.misc Subject: Re: Interesting slant on the Apple/Microsoft deal Date: Thu, 14 Aug 1997 14:24:55 +1000 Organization: Mathematics, Physics, Computing & Electronics - Macquarie University Message-ID: <33F28897.31BD@mpce.mq.edu.au> References: <33EEB7B2.63AE@mpce.mq.edu.au> <5ssg9g$d5d@nntp02.primenet.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: krakatoa.mpce.mq.edu.au Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01Gold (X11; I; SunOS 5.5 sun4m) Lines: 29 Path: 195.95.96.10!news.unisource.be!planetinternet.be!newsgate.unisource.nl!bullseye.news.demon.net!demon!news2.euro.net!netnews.com!europa.clark.net!169.207.30.81!newsfeeds.sol.net!newsspool.sol.net!munnari.OZ.AU!metro!metro!sunb.ocs.mq.edu.au!not-for-mail Xref: 195.95.96.10 comp.sys.amiga.advocacy:179864 comp.sys.amiga.misc:150493 John Bittner wrote: > Let's put this deal in perspective. $ 150 million is chump change both > to Apple and Microsoft. Apple bought Next for more than double that > and despite falling fortunes is still sitting on a mound of cash. Agreed, $150 Mil is nothing. There is however an undisclosed sum involved in this deal (rumoured to be a *very* big sum), which adds to the suspicions that there is more to this than MS simply investing in Apple to ward off Anti-Trust. > I know anti-Microsoft zealots want to read something sinister into this deal, > and of course that possibility always exists, but the simple explanation > that MS saw this deal as a good investment for it's bottom line and against > possible anti-trust action is ample enough. This deal doesnt seem to be all good for MS as far as I can see. The stock they paid the $150 Mil for is non-voting, they get disadvatages of buying stock (you have to pay for it) but not the advantages (you get some control over the company). > > If this deal was Jobs idea of punishment, I'll bet Microsoft is begging for > more. Well, if we knew what MS was actually being forced to pay then we might be able to judge whether the above is true or not. -- Steven J. Saunders (ssaunder@mpce.mq.edu.au)