And who really cares about the financial agreement between Apple and Cisco?  It can’t be substantial enough to scare Apple investors.  If anything should cause concern it’s Apple’s requirement to “explore opportunities for interoperability in the areas of security, consumer and business communications” with Cisco, as CNET wrote.  So Cisco won the right to become Apple’s good old ball-n-chain in the near term, at the very least.  But don’t expect that to last.  Steve Jobs has never been one to court friendships, and the only reason he’s doing so now is out of necessity.  Don’t believe for a second he hasn’t scripted the next ten moves to sidestep that relationship as quickly as possible.

Everyone will want to know the deal’s financial details, but unless it’s a mindblower it’ll be forgotten in a month.  Insignificant cash traded hands, and an agreement was made that allows Cisco to dip its toes in the warm sunny waters of The Apple Ocean. 

What continues is the ever-growing legacy of Steve Jobs as a man who does and gets what he wants.  You can almost imagine the scene in Cupertino the day a colleague whispered in his ear, “Mr. Jobs, sir, bad news: Cisco owns the rights to iPhone.”  He probably removed his glasses and looked him or her in the eye, and said absolutely nothing.  Just a look: “Do you think I really give a crap?” 

Steve Jobs gives the people what we want, and what we wanted was the iPhone.  No other outcome was possible.    

 
Scott Goldberg

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