Microsoft Real Victor in Apple vs. Samsung Showdown Discussion

[Mitlov]

I don't think Apple's intent is to drive companies from Google to Microsoft.

"I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple's $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong. I'm going to destroy Android, because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this." -- Steve Jobs

Apple and Microsoft in recent memory have been amiable rivals, not at all the sort of animosity Apple has had toward Android. Although part of the suit was just pragmatic (if you've got patents you can sue a competitor over, why wouldn't a business do so?), I do think there's an aftertaste of Steve Jobs' vehement animosity in the suit.

[Varjak]

Mitlov, that's because Apple didn't see MS as a threat. If they did, you can be sure that their attitude would be different.

[Varjak]

Weegie, I hop you're right; but I'm not so sure. Wasn't an issue the icons? HTC et al. also use icons with Android. Frankly, I can't see how the Samsung models are really that different from HTC and Motorola, give or take.

One other thing, I'd say that tap to zoom is not an Apple innovation. I've seen that on Palm apps and map software. After all, how much different is a tap than a mouse click on a map? All out before the iPhone saw the light of day.

[Mitlov]

Mitlov, that's because Apple didn't see MS as a threat. If they did, you can be sure that their attitude would be different.

I'm not sure. If Microsoft hadn't bailed out Apple in 1997, Apple wouldn't exist today. That's got to count for something.

And Microsoft absolutely is a serious competitor to Apple overall. Just look beyond the issue of smartphones specifically. Microsoft and Apple compete in desktop OSes (where MS dominates), laptop OSes (where MS dominates), living-room-media devices (where Xbox dominates Apple TV), online music services (where Apple dominates Zune), phones (where Apple dominates MS), and soon tablets (where Apple is currently king but MS is shaping up to be a serious competitor, including with their own hardware line). Apple and Microsoft compete in nearly every market they're involved with, whereas Google and Apple only compete in mobile OSes, online media, cloud services, and nothing else.

[Varjak]

That first sentence is true as far as 'bailing out' (some Apple fanboys deny that despite many articles about it); but if you think that changes things, you are mistaken. MS was sorry almost immediately about even doing that.

I don't think Apple sees it as you do.