September 11, 2009: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer reportedly snatches an iPhone from a Microsoft employee during a meeting and pretends to destroy it.
This isn’t the first time Ballmer behaves in a wacky way and incurs negative publicity as a result. However, it’s an embarrassing moment for a man who ranks among the tech world’s most powerful people.
September 6, 1995: The newly launched Windows 95 operating system dominates software sales, sending virtually every other company scurrying for cover — Apple included.
Microsoft’s $85 PC operating system only went on sale at the end of August. But by early September, the company reportedly sells a massive 1.63 million copies of Windows 95, according to excited analysts. It represents a massive triumph for Apple’s biggest rival of the 1990s.
August 30, 1990: A 112-page confidential Apple memo lays out what the company must do to make the Macintosh division a marketplace contender.
The internal memo comes from Dan Eilers, Apple’s vice president of strategy and corporate development. He boldly says Apple must consider four strategies: licensing Mac OS, licensing both the Mac’s operating system and hardware, creating a spinoff brand for the Macintosh, or starting a totally new company to combat the growing threat of Microsoft’s Windows.
August 21, 2008: Microsoft recruits comedian Jerry Seinfeld for a series of ads. It’s a naked attempt to shake the company’s reputation as a stodgy oldster (as opposed to Apple’s trendsetting hipster image).
Microsoft pays Seinfeld a reported $10 million for the ads. However, thanks to the Mac’s appearance in virtually every episode of Seinfeld over the years, the comedian remains the world’s most famous Apple fanboy.
August 20, 2012: Apple passes a financial milestone as it becomes the most valuable publicly traded stock ever.
The company it bests to attain this record? Longtime rival Microsoft, which peaked on December 30, 1999. Apple’s surge to the top spot serves as a reminder of just how radically the fortunes of both companies changed over the years.
August 14, 1991: As Apple and Microsoft head to court to battle each other, the tide begins to turn against Cupertino and its claims that Windows unlawfully copies the look and feel of Mac OS.
The case concerns whether key elements of Apple’s operating system are original enough for copyright protection. The decision turns out to be a major blow against Apple — and the start of the company’s 1990s decline.
The blazing sun isn’t summertime’s only hot thing. You can also get blistering deals on crucial Microsoft productivity software. Whether it’s new or you’re just keeping yours updated to work smoothly and sidestep emerging security threats, it’s a good thing you can nab the latest versions of Windows, Microsoft Office and other great software at super-low summer prices.
Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard will be best thing to happen to Mac gaming in decades. The selection of titles available for Mac (and iPad) will shoot up dramatically because Microsoft has committed to allowing its popular games available on rival cloud gaming services.
Mac gaming has limped along since the 1990s. This deal will be a huge turnaround — if it makes it over all the regulatory hurdles.
There’s nothing like working with windows — floor-to-ceiling ones with epic views of a world-class city, that is, not Microsoft’s OS software.
In today’s featured computer setup, a MacBook Pro and a Surface 8 laptop vie over a nice Dell 4K display overlooking Sydney, Australia.
While few people enjoy updating their Microsoft software, it’s important to do it to maintain the best productivity and security. So it’s a good thing you can score genuine copies of Windows, Microsoft Office and other great software at way below full price.
You can do that when you buy software activation keys.
And don’t miss this — you get a free upgrade to Windows 11 when you buy Windows 10.
