Steve Jobs turned in his grave when Apple invited a Microsoft executive on the stage to give a demo of the new Apple iPad Pro. Technology company executives share the stages from time-to-time, but it was altogether a different story. Read to know why it happened.
If you watched the Apple iPhone 6s event held at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on September 9, you must have noticed something weird and new on the main stage. Bill Gates vs. Steve Jobs was the biggest rivalry in the history of technology corporations. However, Apple and Microsoft decided to put aside their difference and decided to sing praises for each other at the event. From the main stage, Apple’s Chief Marketer Phil Schiller talked about the new iPad Pro and then invited Microsoft to show more about the same. And why did it happen? For promoting their products iPad and Microsoft Office, of course.
I was shocked when Phil invited Microsoft told the crowd: “Yeah, these guys know productivity.” After few perplexed moments, the audience saw Kirk Koenigsbauer, corporate vice president for Microsoft Office.
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Koenigsbauer started his talk by saying, “It’s a thrill to be here today” and showed off the new Microsoft Office for the new iPad Pro. As different analysts rightly point out- Apple likes to limit its events to Apple executives and its friends who talk and praise their new products. But, the big guys at Apple and Microsoft decided to make this change look like nothing unusual, but it wasn’t.
This also reminds me of 1997 when Microsoft CEO Bill Gates talked about their mutual cooperation after Microsoft gave Apple $150 million that helped Apple to avoid bankruptcy – and Gates and Jobs were booed by the Apple crowd.
Under the leadership of Tim Cook, Apple’s outlook is changing and it’s eying the enterprise. Contrary to Jobs’ focus- the consumers- Cook is trying his best to join hands with corporations to become their technology provider. Last year, along the same lines, Apple surprised the world by announcing a partnership with its Big Brother enemy IBM.
On the other hand, under Satya Nadella, Microsoft is busy developing apps for iOS and Android ecosystem.
This new development is a clever tactics by Apple and Microsoft to promote their own products. They might have their differences written in bold letters in the history books, money always matters.