15 years of war: How deeply hated is Apple and Microsoft for Office?

Beijing December 12 news, according to foreign media reports, the French website Mac4Ever recently reported that the information on the Microsoft technical support website shows that the company will soon launch iOS version of Office applications. However, there is serious disagreement between Microsoft and Apple on the 30% revenue sharing requirement in the App Store app store, so Apple may prevent Microsoft from upgrading its iOS version of SkyDrive.

In fact, Office has long been a cash cow for Microsoft. Extending this office suite to the iOS platform will undoubtedly bring more revenue to Microsoft. At the same time, this will also bring huge benefits to Apple's mobile platform, so Microsoft feels that Apple should reduce the proportion of its share of the Office 365 subscription revenue.

Dream back to 1997

So, from the current form, Apple and Microsoft have started to rack up their Office suites. Did we return to 1997?

Although Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has passed away, Bill Gates has no longer ignored Microsoft's daily affairs. However, any veteran who has been in the scientific and technological circles for more than a decade will not forget the drama that the two played in 1997.

At the Macworld Expo in Boston on August 6, 1997, Bill Gates appeared on the screen of Jobs' keynote speech through satellite connection. Both sides jointly announced that Microsoft will invest 150 million U.S. dollars in Apple, and may hold some of Apple’s non-voting shares. In addition, Microsoft will also provide Office Business Suite support to Apple Mac users for a period of five years.

After the two sides announced the cooperation plan, the audience under the audience gave their own response with a “click”.

In fact, before Jobs introduced Gates to the stage, he said: "Apple lives in an ecosystem, so we need to get help from our partners. We also need to help our partners."

Indeed, at that time, Apple was indeed involved in internal and external troubles. With cash in short supply, they urgently needed to obtain Microsoft's funds for turnover. And if Microsoft decided to stop providing support for Office suites to Mac users that year, Apple may no longer exist today. The final result is that Microsoft's 1997 investment in Apple has given Jobs a rare "breathing" opportunity, and he has gradually established Apple as a technology company with many successful businesses.

Now, Microsoft plans to launch Office applications for the iOS platform, but Apple has said that it must treat all development with equal treatment. Apple spokesman Tom Neumeier said recently: "Apple provides users and developers with a wide range of application options and the most secure way to discover applications through its App Store. Our regulations are for every developer. It's fair, that is, free applications and services are distributed free of charge, and paid applications and services need to be provided to Apple. Currently, we have paid over $6.5 billion to the developer community of more than 700,000 applications."

I remember that in 1997, Jobs once said: “We have to put down the idea that if Microsoft wants to succeed, Microsoft will have to fail. Similarly, if we want Microsoft’s Office software to reach the Mac platform, we’d better Treat them with gratitude."

At the time, the Mac was very similar to the current situation, and its market share was still far lower than that of the PC. It is only now that Apple has dominated the market for tablets and smartphones, while Microsoft is only a "late-comer" in this area.

It is worth mentioning that, as early as a month ago, the US technology blog The Verge has reported that Microsoft may launch iPad and Android Office in May next year, but it will be a very limited version: Users can only consult documents, You cannot create or edit documents. If you want to get the editing function, then iPad users can only buy Microsoft's cloud computing service Office 365.