The 1997 agreement with Microsoft was for a span of five years. The Microsoft shares were non-voting shares.
The agreement was never renewed as far as I am aware. Apple now has the ability to stand on its own two feet and is one of the very few profitable computer hardware companies. It was profitable before the advent of the recent iPod sales explosion.
In an interview with Kevin Browne of the Microsoft Macintosh Business Unit (they produce a Mac version of Office):
BROWNE: I don’t believe we still have that investment. Five years is a long time. They were nonvoting shares, and it isn’t like that had a lot to do with how we approached the business. [A spokesman for Microsoft later confirmed that Microsoft no longer holds the Apple investment it made under the companies’ 1997 agreement.]
The 1997 agreement with Microsoft was for a span of five years. The Microsoft shares were non-voting shares.
The agreement was never renewed as far as I am aware. Apple now has the ability to stand on its own two feet and is one of the very few profitable computer hardware companies. It was profitable before the advent of the recent iPod sales explosion.
In an interview with Kevin Browne of the Microsoft Macintosh Business Unit (they produce a Mac version of Office):
BROWNE: I don’t believe we still have that investment. Five years is a long time. They were nonvoting shares, and it isn’t like that had a lot to do with how we approached the business. [A spokesman for Microsoft later confirmed that Microsoft no longer holds the Apple investment it made under the companies’ 1997 agreement.]