By Evan Niu, CFA
Over the decades, there has been a long history of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT ) copying Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) . This trend most notably started with the graphical user interface, or GUI, that the Mac first brought to consumer PCs and was subsequently followed by Windows.
Another prominent example would be the Zune, which had hoped to muscle in on the iPod’s success, but largely failed. Most recently, Microsoft’s entire business strategy may be transitioning toward Apple’s ways, as Steve Ballmer has made it abundantly clear that Microsoft’s future lies in becoming a “devices-and-services” company, a departure from its predominantly software approach.
Well, Apple may be about to copy its rival from Redmond for once.
Flatland
Apple is just weeks away from kicking off its Worldwide Developers Conference, or WWDC. The headliner at the event will be iOS 7, which is expected to see its first aesthetic overhaul in years. Numerous rumors over the past couple months have pointed to design chief Jony Ive pursuing a more “flat design.”
