 "Surprised to find Microsoft at an Apple event? They once bailed Apple out of bankruptcy!")
Many were surprised to find Microsoft at the Apple event yesterday. It was one of those moments when an arch-rival is part of the demo of your flagship device.
It’s interesting many referred to this Apple event as the most important in the history of the company. Given the stiff competition in the market today, it might as well be referred to as one. Apple introduced its new tablet targeted at professionals and named it the iPad Pro.
However, this is not the first time Microsoft has been present at an Apple keynote. The last time something like this happened, it was critical for Apple. That was 18 years ago. The occasion was Macworld 1997.
Apple was on the verge of bankruptcy. And during the keynote at Macworld, Steve Jobs address the audience and introduced a speaker via video conference. That gentleman was Bill Gates. He had invested $150 million in Apple.
Although the audience booed Bill Gates, Steve Jobs stated that ‘we have to let go of this notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft has to lose.’ It’s that spirit and passion that took Apple from the verge of bankruptcy to being the most valuable company on the planet today.