Companies announce patent cross-license agreement.
Microsoft announces Office 98 for Macintosh; Apple announces Internet
Explorer to be bundled with Mac OS.
Product commitment backed up with $150M Microsoft investment in Apple
Computer.
Boston, August 6, 1997--In a keynote address delivered today at Macworld
Boston, Apple Computer Inc. director and co-founder Steve Jobs and
Microsoft Corp. chairman and CEO Bill Gates announced a broad product and
technology development agreement between Apple and Microsoft including the
following:
(a) The companies agreed to a broad patent cross-licensing agreement. It
paves the way for the two companies to work more closely on leading-edge
technologies for the Mac platform.
(b) Microsoft will develop and ship future versions of its popular
Microsoft Office productivity suite, Internet Explorer and other Microsoft
tools for the Mac platform.
(c) Apple will bundle the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser with the Mac
OS, making it the default browser in future operating system software
releases.
(d) Apple and Microsoft plan to collaborate on technology to ensure
compatibility between their respective Virtual Machines for Java and other
programming languages.
(e) To further support its relationship with Apple, Microsoft will invest
$150 million in non-voting Apple stock.
"In 1984, Steve Jobs and I stood together when Microsoft announced
Microsoft Excel, an application that is widely credited with helping to
define the potential of the Mac as a great applications platform," said
Gates. "Today's announcements underscore our continued belief in the Mac
as a platform for applications and leading-edge Internet technologies.
Microsoft has millions of customers who rely on Macintosh technology and
they can be assured that Microsoft products for the Mac will continue to
be available."
"We are thrilled at the prospect of working more closely with Microsoft on
applications and Internet software" said Jobs. "We are confident that this
is the beginning of a much closer relationship between the two companies,
which will greatly benefit our common customers."
For more information, contact (Press only):
Nina Bondarook or Greg Shaw
Waggener Edstrom
503-245-0905
Greg Shaw or John Pinette
Microsoft
425-882-8080
Katie Cotton
Apple Computer
408-974-7269
For more information, contact (Financial Analysts only):
Carla Lewis
Microsoft
206-936-3703
Nancy Paxton
Apple Computer
408-974-5420
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Apple's home page on the World Wide Web: http://www.apple.com/
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