Even though MS has several different software and hardware products, their bread and butter is Office and Windows. If they start to lose those two (they are already losing Office - very few companies are signing enterprise agreements anymore), then they are done. If Apple really wants to kill MS, they can license OS X for any Intel device = MS is done.

I don't see apple doing that.... That would be loosing too much control, Jobs won't allow that....

I don't see that happening.

Windows needs to run on a nearly infinite combination of hardware. Which to MSFT's credit it does very well. Windows would undoubtedly be a better product if it's compatibility list were smaller/controlled/limited.

And the impact would likely be limited to consumers.

The cost to corporations would be staggering.

We got a new President just as I had finished submitting a request for new hardware for my group. We are/were exclusively Apple.

He insisted we could get the same hardware from a PC vendor for far less.

So I went back, wrote up a budget for PC hardware, then added in the costs for dumping our Mac apps and replacing with Windows versions which by itself was 2-3x's more money than just buying new Apple hardware.

I was not commenting on whether Apple WOULD do that, just saying that if they really wanted to put the nail in MS's coffin, they COULD.

The big trick would be to partner with some firms so that you could get standard drivers ie. say that if you buy an Intel board, ATI video card, etc., OS X will run. If not, good luck.

I agree with other's comments - the only reason that Apple hardware is so expensive is that it can be - enough people are willing to pay it.

Apple doesn't care about OS market share... they simply wanna sell hardware at high end prices..

After all, it's all made in the same Chinese factory.. Dell, Apple, whatever, it's all Foxcon... You know, that place where employees have a rather high suicide rate.

So what is the difference, why is Apple hardware so much more expensive?
Right, because they can swing it, because they have the design(looks) right.
And because the software matches the box that runs it in the looks department... It's all about style..Ipods, iphones, imacs mac air... whatever.. it's all compatible , it all matches in the looks department... Why Jobs would, could or even should branch out is beyond me... It simply does not make any sense for them to do so.. They have made a come back like no other.. they make Billions a year in profits... Why change a winning thing???

And as for beating MS.. remember, MS payed Apple money in some kind of cooperation agreement... I'm sure there are certain stipulations in there to make sure neither rains on the other one's parade to much... And as for beating MS... MS still makes double the profits that Apple does, with only 50 % more revenue... So MS still does something right in the big picture. They had a drop in profits last years, but hey, i guess the crisis works the same for everybody doesn't it.. or rather it does not if you drop a billion but still nett 16 billions... It doesn't really hurt that much that way.

Some coffin if it makes em 16-17 billion a year..
Hell, if they think they are loosing, they can spend as much cashon R&D or marketing as Apple makes in a year, and still nett more profit then Apple does...

Apple were hurting.

MSFT were under heavy Fed scrutiny at the time. Noise about the Fed forcing MSFT to break up.

Apple was/is the only other commercially viable consumer operating system available.

Without it Windows/MSFT become a monopoly, we all know what happens next.

It was in MSFT's best interest to ensure Apples survival.

It still applies, they both need the other one to prevent being targeted as a monopoly...
So neither will hammer any nails in the other one's coffin... There's no reason why they should, they both make sj1tloads of money... shareholders get dividends even during a time of global economic crisis...

Yup.

The "rivalry" makes for good TV.

Yeah, any Apple/Microsoft rivalry is much like a Ferrari/GM rivalry.

One makes and exclusive, overpriced product for a very small percentage of the population. The other makes a mediocre product for the other 99% of the population...