I think that's not a valid analogy. First, the last time I checked, Apple is still a niche player in the global computer market. Their current success is not because of their position in the computer market, but because of their current position in the MP3-Player (iPod) and smartphone markets.
But this niche market saved Apple from bankruptcy. Had they not gotten NextStep, they would have been bankrupt.
The Microsoft investment and their promise to port/maintain Office for Mac OS were what bought Apple enough time to come up with new product categories like the iPod.
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The Microsoft investment and their promise to port/maintain Office for Mac OS were what bought Apple enough time to come up with new product categories like the iPod.
They also suck up a lot of the "profits" in the PC market. So even if their marketshare is 5%, their profit share is like 30%.