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Strained Relationships (11/1/98)
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While we at AtAT were a tad disappointed that "Redmond Justice" didn't have a special Halloween show (like we're one to talk!), that's not to say the show isn't as entertaining as ever-- especially now that Apple guest stars are getting some screen time. Boy-wonder Avie Tevanian, former NeXT and current Apple software guru, has submitted written testimony in the case, and according to the Washington Post, all is not rosy between Microsoft and our Mac-making protagonists.
It doesn't get any clearer than this: "Microsoft does not hesitate to use its operating system monopoly power and application program dominance to try to eliminate competition, acquire control of new markets and block innovation that could challenge its position." Wow. According to Avie, Microsoft threatened to cancel Office for the Mac unless Apple made Internet Explorer the default web browser for the Mac OS, and Apple of course "reluctanctly agreed" to do so for a minimum of five years. (Microsoft claims that Apple made the choice based on Internet Explorer's superior technology-- which makes us chuckle, when we think back to IE 3.0.) Avie claims that Microsoft also tried to get Apple to drop development of QuickTime for the Windows platform, and when Apple refused, "Microsoft's response conveyed a simple message: Microsoft would drive Apple out of the multimedia business." Harsh stuff
Not that this all hasn't been heard before, but we're still a little surprised by how anti-Microsoft Avie's testimony turned out to be. Sure, he's a witness for the government, but given the supposedly buddy-buddy situation between and Apple and Microsoft for the past year, we expected something just a little less acrimonious. Of course, if what Avie's saying is true, that supposedly buddy-buddy relationship was merely the public facade masking some unpleasant anticompetitive business dealings. The full text of Avie's written testimony is available from the Department of Justice website, if you're interested in such things. We're more interested in how well Avie will stand up to cross-examination. This is, after all, a man used to dealing with high-pressure software engineering deadlines; it'll be interesting to see if that experience translates into poise on the stand.
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SceneLink (1119)
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 11/1/98 episode: November 1, 1998: No Halloween costume is scarier than Bill Gates in a leisure suit, and none is cuter than our friend the iMac. Meanwhile, that iMac keeps flying off the shelves, if the September PC Data sales figures are any indication, and Avie Tevanian's testimony in "Redmond Justice" reveals that Apple's relationship with Microsoft ain't all it's cracked up to be...
Other scenes from that episode: 1117: Trick or Steve! (11/1/98) So another Halloween has come and gone. How was yours? All Hallow's Eve at the AtAT offices is typically a sedate affair; we generally work on perfecting our "Couch Potatoes Watching Too Much TV" costumes and wait for the little neighborhood gremlins to ring the bell... 1118: Bondi Blue Hotcakes (11/1/98) Remember how the iMac was the number two selling computer for the month of August? That was a real coup, especially since it debuted halfway through the month and still came in second. There were some real concerns, however, that those fantastic sales couldn't continue; after all, once all of the Rabid Mac Faithful™ ran out and bought their iMacs in the first two weeks (and no, that's not a slam of any kind-- heck, the AtAT staff drove to New Hampshire to buy three on the first morning they because available), would "normal" people continue to buy the cute blue lumpy things? So the most recent PC Data numbers are pretty good news...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
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