14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has recently admitted that Apple is no longer an enemy, and a similar message is now being promoted by company co-founder Bill Gates.
In an interview with CNBC, Gates emphasized that “Apple is an amazing company” and he praised Warren Buffett for purchasing Apple stock earlier this year. Buffett’s company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns nearly 5 percent of Apple, and Bill Gates is a member of the board.
“Apple's an amazing company, and the multiple's not gigantic. The top tech companies do have a very strong profit position right now but Apple has the most of all, “Bill Gates said. “I think Warren has applied great thinking there," said Gates, who is a Berkshire Hathaway board member. "It's not like a tech speculative company where it's still losing money or anything.”
Long-time rivals
Microsoft and Apple are two of the tech companies that have long competed against each other in a wide array of tech industries, including in the PC market.
But despite the rivalry, the changing technology world has forced Microsoft and Apple to work closer together on a series of projects. Most recently, Apple launched iTunes for Windows 10 in the Microsoft Store and Microsoft is investing aggressively in apps for iPhone and iPad.
Chris Capossela, Microsoft’s chief marketing officer, said in a recent interview that the software giant no longer sees Apple as an enemy, but rather as a partner in empowering people to do more no matter the device or platform they are using.
“We’ve moved away from that competitive focus that I think we’ve had in the past,” Capossela explained. “We need to bring our products on the platforms that our customers are using. So Office on the iPad or iPhone, Minecraft on every platform, that’s just a natural thing for us to do.”
Warren Buffett’s recent purchase of Apple stock pushed the Cupertino-based company close to becoming the first $1 trillion firm in the world.