The Mac's ascension doesn't seem to bother Microsoft too much, not even Bill Gates. Although the rivalry between the two operating systems, Windows and Mac OS X, is on everybody's lips, Microsoft sees Apple as a worthy vendor.

Why? Because Microsoft produces Office for Mac, whose latest edition, the 2004 one, is considered even better than the PC one.

Microsoft has never made public the revenues obtained from selling Office for Mac, but it's obvious that they are excellent, since Bill Gates was recently saying in an interview for LA Times

"We're ecumenical people," spune Bill Gates. "We have to run everything. Our first graphics interface was on the Macintosh. We've always done well on Macs."

Since the standard version of Microsoft Office For Mac costs $399.95, and the Professional one costs an extra $100, and since the Macs own 5% of the US computing market, it's obvious that the recorded profits are very good.

MS Office For Mac is developed by a department within Microsoft which has 200 employees.