The Business Week article starts off with, ” Steve Jobs had plenty of problems to contend with as he sauntered onstage for his first speech after returning to the top of Apple (AAPL) in 1997. He faced a shrinking market for his Mac computers, bloated costs, and a severe shortage of cash. But on that day, Jobs chose to talk to the Mac faithful mostly about another problem: Apple’s growing isolation. Despite the company’s reputation for making the world’s finest PCs, very little software or add-on gear worked with the Mac. “Apple lives in an ecosystem, and it needs help from other partners,” said Jobs. “And it needs to help other partners.”

Jobs then did the unthinkable, inviting arch-nemesis Bill Gates to join him on stage via videoconference to announce details of a deal to forget any patent claims in exchange for $150 million, and a promise by Microsoft (MSFT) to continue making a Mac-compatible version of its ubiquitous Office software.

Today, that Apple ecosystem has morphed from a sad little high-tech shtetl into a global empire. Once known for defining the digital future but never fully capitalizing on it, Apple has been transformed into tech’s most influential hit-maker. More than 200,000 companies have signed on in the past year to create Apple-compatible products, a 26% increase from the year before. That includes software makers such as gamemaker Electronic Arts (ERTS) and corporate supplier VMware, drawn by Mac sales that are growing three times faster than the overall PC market.”

Read the full article here, and tell me what you think: