Apple has just held its launching event in San Francisco on Sept. 9, Wednesday. The event has introduced the tech giant's new iPhone, the much awaited iPhone 6S, the revamped Apple TV and the company's new iPad model, iPad Pro. The event is a big event for Apple, and the US company had it streamed via webcast on Safari and Microsoft Edge.
The webcast on Microsoft's new internet browser may have been the first clue as to what was in store for tech followers in the event, apart from the Apple products. Microsoft has been Apple's longtime rival, and the Redmond software giant has representatives in the event. What's more, Apple CEO Tim Cook has welcomed and acknowledged them.
According to a Tech2 report, the two tech giants, which have fans that clash intensely with one another, are working to come up with an Adobe productivity app for Apple. Tim Cook provided a surprise introduction for Microsoft saying, "Who knows about productivity more than Microsoft?" The company's executive, Steve Koenigsbauer, then gave a presentation and a demonstration of Microsoft Office for the iPad Pro. Cook and Koenigsbauer even shook hands.
There has been a long-standing animosity between the two US tech titans, and the late Steve Jobs had unabashedly shot barbs at the software giant. A tech writer called Koenigsbauer's attendance in the event a nightmare for the late Jobs. "Hell froze over," was how Mashable described the meeting of the two giants, which share an acrimonious history. Jobs even openly said that Microsoft had no taste.
But times have changed. Microsoft has shown itself to be transitioning into an industry collaborator. "We are focused on reinventing productivity," Koenigsbauer said. "Today, more than ever, we are supporting productivity on Apple devices. The Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Office Division unveiled Microsoft Office for the iPad Pro. In 2010, the company's Adobe Flash program was shunned by Steve Jobs. On Wednesday, during his presentation, Koenigsbauer presented a new app called Adobe Fix.
Microsoft's Satya Nadella is aiming to make Microsoft apps usable for as many people as possible. Aligning the apps with rivals will help boost market audience. Apple, for its part, has to offer something new with its iPad Pro, following reports that in general, tablet sales are dwindling. A productivity app from the "guys that know productivity" may just do the trick for iPad Pro.
