My take on it would be that Microsoft had as much influence (dominating the desktop) but over a much smaller domain (much fewer computers, the internet was just taking off, and smartphones/tablets weren't a thing yet). In that era, more or less only techies cared about Microsoft's antics. From the public's perspective, the only time they had any reason to think about Microsoft as a company was when their computer BSODed. It wasn't an constantly in your face brand the way Facebook, Google, Amazon, Twitter, etc. is today for pretty much everyone.
Comments
My take on it would be that Microsoft had as much influence (dominating the desktop) but over a much smaller domain (much fewer computers, the internet was just taking off, and smartphones/tablets weren't a thing yet). In that era, more or less only techies cared about Microsoft's antics. From the public's perspective, the only time they had any reason to think about Microsoft as a company was when their computer BSODed. It wasn't an constantly in your face brand the way Facebook, Google, Amazon, Twitter, etc. is today for pretty much everyone.