Sorry Joe - You need to go back and take a better look at the history of the computer industry.. The book 'Fire in the Valley' is one of many chronicles.. Main point being that Gates is no hero, but literally stole the Operating System from others, then pawned it off on the public, ruthlessly.. It's very scary that any business ever relied on his OS, ever... Only in his old age has he gone philanthropic.. Maybe trying to work off his guilt trip, maybe his wife's prodding..
Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak put together a totally new, self made product, struggled from day one, but put together a wide range of talents, held together by Jobs, really, an adopted kid, finding his way in the world.. You should read his biography, quite a tale.. He literally changed the world, and it's not over, even though management changed.. the innovative output not only perks their world sales up, but the ex employees as they move on, do many other great things, that little NEST thermostat was just one thing out there.. Apple has been the target of bashers from the start, some folks hate success, whether it's jealousy form their own failings or as I've seen a lot, self interest in the Microsoft world.. That today they are successful beyond any of their dreams attracts the bashing yet again...
I've watched Apple since the early 70s, watched as local folks set up User Groups to help each other sort out possible uses for the Apple ][, later on I watched folks from those groups go out, build their own businesses, service companies, desktop publishing to tech services... All with no support directly from Apple, they were too small, barely surviving then.. Along came the Mac, more change, many iterations, many products from the Newton, to cameras, printers, scanners, many failed attempts, but they kept trying, and a lot of us bought those attempts.. Along the way the insights of Jobs kept pushing, and with the iPod, a beginning, the iPhone/iPad major leaps, and the world jumped in, creating the current headache of overseas cash accounts. It was earned over there! Back in early 2000's as we traveled Italy, Spain, an obvious popular line of products out there, Ads and now even a tore in the Louvre!
So in the end I'm not buying that Apple moved anything offshore to hide cash, it just happened, that they homed in on Ireland's tax laws, when you have a great set of tax lawyers on the payroll, they'd be crazy not to take advantage.. As Tim Cook testified, if Congress wants changes to the law they need to make them, but I sure don't blame Apple for using the law as written...
There's a much larger history in Silicon Valley then just Gates & Jobs, thousands of other small businesses owe their very existence to the Apple game plan...
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