June 25, 1985: on this day, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates sends a memorandum to Apple management in which he proposes that Cupertino license his Mac operating system and provide it to other companies.
Apple CEO John Scully and Macintosh creator Jean-Louis Gassi ignored Gates’ advice, and five months later Microsoft released its Windows 1.0 and eventually achieved dominance of the computer industry, making Windows available on virtually any non-Apple computer.
Different vectors of movement: Microsoft up, Apple down
Apple rejected Gates’s offer, believing that the Mac was out of competition and should pursue its own strategy of selling Mac OS only for its own computers, but made a mistake in signing an agreement with him that allowed Microsoft to use external Mac elements in Windows.
The deal gave Microsoft the exclusive license to use portions of Mac technology in current and future developments of their software.
Since Windows 1.0 was bad enough that it couldn’t really compete with Apple, there was no threat. But after the release of the new version of Windows 2.0, everything changed and Apple filed a lawsuit, claiming that Microsoft illegally copied 189 different design elements. However, the court ruled that the existing license between Apple and Microsoft also applies to interface elements in the new Windows.
This enabled Microsoft to successfully conquer the world in the early 90s, while Apple was dangerously close to bankruptcy.
Ironically, over time, Apple licensed the Mac OS to third parties, worsening its fortunes even further.
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