Well there you go. I’m still not seeing any need for MS to face save, they made a bunch of money on the deal and the agreement to keep making Office for Mac probably saved Mac.
MS was on their way to losing when they negotiated the settlement. If it had been the other way around, Apple would have had to pay, not just make IE the default browser.
They were caught with their fingers in the cookie jar, stealing proprietary intellectual property, something that was not new with them. The purchase of the stock was NOT to bail out Apple... it was to settle a lawsuit that would have cost them billions... and probably would have required them to disclose proprietary secrets of their own.
By establishing the myth that they were merely bailing Apple out, who didn't need bailing out at that time, they make themselves look better... and spread FUD about Apple at the same time. Why do you think this false story is repeated over and over again despite the facts being easily determined?
To this day you see reports that "Microsoft bought 10% of Apple" and that "Bill Gates owns Apple" and that "Apple was about to declare bankruptcy when MS saved them." I have posted the facts numerous times WITH SOURCES on FreeRepublic and still it comes up. It's a MYTH, Discostu!