For many years, the rivalry between Apple and Microsoft has dwindled. However, with the recent testimony of the software giant against Apple in the Epic case, it seems that the competition between the two companies is back and stronger than ever. As per the Epic Games lawsuit, Apple and Microsoft are in tension as both companies will compete in cloud computing, mixed reality headsets, and more.
In the past several years, Apple and Microsoft seemingly had a solid relationship. Microsoft Office and other applications became available on iPhone and iPad. A Microsoft executive was invited to engage in Apple’s product launch. Both companies offered cross-platform support for Apple Pencil, Xbox game controller, Magic Keyboard, and more.
Apple and Microsoft have begun feuding again over cloud computing, AR headset, and more
The renewed rivalry between the two companies started in November last year, after Apple’s M1 chip launch. Following the launch of its M1 chip, Apple refused to allow Microsoft’s software into the iTunes App Store. The tech giant also did not allow Microsoft to launch its cloud gaming services for iOS. Bloomberg reports that:
The renewed antipathy between Apple and Microsoft started about a year ago. Microsoft had developed a cloud gaming service for iPhones and iPads called xCloud. One app would let users pay a monthly fee to Microsoft and stream dozens of different gaming titles from the cloud. The service was supposed to do for gaming what Netflix did for video, appease gamers and turn Apple devices into a more powerful gaming platform backed by Xbox, one of the hottest names in the industry.
But Microsoft never launched the service in its intended form, having failed to persuade Apple to loosen App Store rules forbidding all-in-one gaming services. Originally, Microsoft was barred from launching any cloud-based games at all. But a few months after concerns over the ban on streaming apps went public, Apple tweaked the rules. Microsoft can now launch a cloud gaming service, but each game must be downloaded separately, defeating the purpose of an all-in-one solution. Now Microsoft is rolling out the service on Apple devices via the web, a much less optimal experience than a real app.
The report also quotes other reasons for the rivalry: Microsoft urging U.S. and European antitrust regulators to look into Apple’s practices and Mac’s sales growing while Windows PCs have deteriorated.
In the future, both companies are set to compete in a lot of the same segments. Apple is planning to release a mixed reality headset by 2022, which would compete with Microsoft’s HoloLens. Additionally, Apple and Microsoft are “also competing for talent in AI and cloud infrastructure, two key future battlegrounds.”
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