Welcome to the latest installment of “Tech History for People Who Just Discovered the Internet,” courtesy of a newsletter that thinks comparing 1998 Microsoft to 2024 Apple is a spicy new take. The Verge’s recent trip down memory lane, “Apple’s long, bitter App Store antitrust war,” tries to paint a poetic picture of the underdog becoming the bully. It’s a classic narrative, perfect for anyone who enjoys oversimplifying complex economics while ignoring the fact that QuickTime was mostly used for watching grainy, postage-stamp-sized movie trailers that took four hours to buffer.

Let’s start with the central argument: that Apple was once the scrappy victim of Microsoft’s monopolistic boot. In 1998, Microsoft held 90% of the OS market, while Apple was essentially a boutique hardware company for graphic designers and people who really liked translucent teal plastic. The article implies that Apple’s current App Store “travails” are a karmic reversal. But here’s a fun fact the “Apple-as-victim” narrative conveniently glosses over: Apple didn’t survive the 90s because of its “superior QuickTime multimedia player.” It survived because Microsoft injected $150 million into the company in 1997. Bill Gates didn’t do this out of the goodness of his heart; he did it because having a struggling competitor is the best way to tell the Department of Justice, “Look, we’re not a monopoly! Look at this sad, little fruit company over there!” Apple wasn’t a threat; it was a tax hedge.

Then there’s the claim that QuickTime was a “threat” to Microsoft’s offerings. Let’s be real: QuickTime was the “Ask Toolbar” of the creative world. Calling it a threat to Microsoft’s dominance is like saying a tricycle is a threat to a semi-truck because they both have wheels. The real reason Microsoft was on trial wasn’t because they were scared of a MOV file; it was because they were crushing every browser, spreadsheet, and word processor that dared to exist on their platform.

The article pivots to the modern App Store “war,” suggesting Apple is now the very monster it once fought. This is where the logic starts to get as thin as an iPhone 16 Pro Max. The “App Store Tax”—that 30% cut that keeps developers awake at night—is often framed as a tyrannical tribute. But let’s use our memories for a second. In 1998, if you wanted to sell software, you had to print boxes, burn CDs, and pay CompUSA or Best Buy a 50% margin just to sit on a shelf. Apple isn’t a monopoly in the traditional sense; they’ve simply built the world’s most expensive gated community.

Critics cry about the “walled garden,” but users are the ones paying $1,200 for the privilege of living inside the walls. If you want to talk about antitrust, talk about the fact that you can’t buy a Kindle book inside the Amazon app because two trillion-dollar companies are having a mid-off over transaction fees. That’s not a “bitter war”; it’s a billionaire’s playground fight.

The underlying assumption here is that Apple has “betrayed” its roots. It hasn’t. Apple has always been about total control, from the proprietary screws on the original Mac to the Lightning cable they clung to until the EU literally had to pass a law to stop them. They didn’t “become” a closed system; they *are* a closed system.

The Verge’s attempt to frame this as a “full circle” moment ignores the fundamental difference between the PC era and the mobile era. Microsoft’s monopoly was about forcing its software onto third-party hardware. Apple’s “monopoly” is about controlling its *own* hardware. If you don’t like the App Store, you can—and this is a radical concept—buy an Android. You won’t, because you like the blue bubbles and the feeling of prestige that comes with a device that doesn’t have a headphone jack, but the option is there.

In the end, this “long, bitter war” is mostly just legal theater for companies that have run out of actual innovation. It’s much easier to sue for a larger slice of the pie than it is to bake a better one. So, while we wait for the next court ruling to tell us which multi-billion-dollar corporation gets to be slightly richer, let’s stop pretending that Apple was ever the “little guy.” They were just the guy with the better marketing department and a very timely check from Bill Gates.