Is Microsoft Infiltrating Apple's World?

Apple's

most popular products could soon be powered and/or enhanced by Microsoft

software and technology. This unlikely development stems from a dispute between Apple and Nokia

in which the Finnish mobile phone maker accused its leading competitor of infringing on several different patents. According to the

, these patents include touch user interfaces, signal noise suppression and on-device application stores (among other, more basic mobile technologies). Now that the suit has

, Apple will pay Nokia an undisclosed sum of money now and continue to pay Nokia royalties in the future. Thus, if Microsoft acquires

(defying the

), Apple could ultimately become a licensee of Microsoft technology. While this may not sound like much of an Earth-shattering development – after all, Apple and Microsoft already

– the amusing part of the story is that this is not the first time Microsoft has threatened to infiltrate Apple's world.

FaceTime is cool, but it is nowhere near the popularity of Skype, which Microsoft

for $8.5 billion. While the Windows maker could be stingy with the service and eventually prevent Mac users from taking advantage of it, Microsoft plans to continue making Skype for other platforms. This is good news for Mac-toting consumers and business professionals who wish to use the service. This is also good for Skype's new owner, as there will soon be a Microsoft-branded product that Mac users will find it hard to live without. Apple, however, does not have much to worry about at this point. No matter what happens, Microsoft is

Microsoft.

Why is it that two of Microsoft's most common file formats are more popular than the programs tied to them? Whether using Pages or TextEdit, many Mac owners save their files as a Word document or as an RTF (rich text file) to ensure their compatibility with Microsoft Word. Perhaps Microsoft could learn a thing or two from this when designing its future products? No, forget “perhaps” – the company

learn from this.

The ironic thing about Windows 7 is that the only Mac owners who care about using it are Windows lovers. And why would a Windows lover buy a Mac? Because they're

machines, perhaps? In any case, Microsoft has yet to show

that makes

look or sound any better than the current crop of operating systems. Technologically, the touch elements are nice, but I can live without them. And until the day comes when every laptop comes with a touch screen, most consumers are likely to feel the same way. This does not bode well for Microsoft. Assuming that the company truly wants to invade Apple territory (and either win back consumers or convince Mac users to install Windows 8), Microsoft needs to implement

amazing features that consumers will be drawn to the minute they see them. If Microsoft needs some inspiration, it should look no further than the initial

. They made everyone want Apple's groundbreaking device. Microsoft should not, however, create a campaign like the one designed to launch

. That would be a disaster, and produce another automatic win for Apple.