There IS no "interpretation" about it, Doc. The three interlocking agreements settling the lawsuit between Microsoft and Apple signed the same morning make it explicit exactly what happened and who owed who what.
The spin came after the fact from a Microsoft captive press and the fact that the agreements were sealed for a period of time. There was no bailout. Apple added the money to it's cash holdings. It did not need it to meet operational obligations.
It’s not that straight forward, Apple was bleeding employees up until that cash settlement. Maybe Microsoft would have lost the lawsuit, but with our legal system nothing is a lock and even then, Microsoft could have kept it in courts for another decade using their cash to force Apple to burn their dollars fighting appeals.
You cannot deny that at that time, the worst thing for Microsoft would have been for the at-the-time weak Apple to have left the market.
I don’t want to beat a dead horse but Apple was not doing well and Microsoft for their own purposes were better off with a weak Apple than no Apple.
Now nearly a decade and a half later, Microsoft may be wondering if they would have been better off taking their chances with the Feds, LOL.