Apple and Microsoft’s Rivalry Had Cooled. Now It’s Back and Getting Testier
Tensions have surfaced during the Epic Games trial and could persist as the two companies compete in everything from cloud computing to mixed reality.
Microsoft’s HoloLens augmented reality headset.
Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
At a virtual product launch in November for Apple’s Mac reboot, actor John Hodgman appeared in a nerdy, ill-fitting suit before a white backdrop. “Stop, hang on, wait, one more thing, hi, I’m a PC,” he said, reprising the popular Mac vs. PC television commercials of a decade ago that not so subtly telegraphed the idea that Apple was cool and Microsoft wasn’t.
The event was held to let Mac fans know the new machines were getting a processor with more sizzle. But the subtext was unmistakable: Apple Inc.’s old rivalry with Microsoft Corp. was back.