Realsmart.com: If you are a long time Mac user, it is inevitable that at least one of your Windows loving buddies, will tell you the “absolutely false story” of how Microsoft and Bill Gates saved poor little Apple from death by giving them money in 1997. So how did Microsoft’s $150 million dollar investment in Apple stock do, for Microsoft?

Apple shares (AAPL) were selling at $5.43 a share in 1997, closing Friday at $122.06. The gain on these shares: $18.1 BILLION! Note: AAPL was selling at $127.53 up 5.31, and Microsoft shares were $27.99 down 0.27 while I write this.

By comparison, if Microsoft bought the same amount of its own shares, then selling at $17.67 and closing at $28.25 Friday, the gain would have been ONLY $89.8 million. Note: Microsoft stock has been relatively flat for about seven years.

Do you think Apple Computer was a bad investment for Microsoft? This $150 million in non-voting shares of AAPL made them lots of money — BILLIONS, ended a lawsuit Microsoft was losing (also costing both companies lots of money), and helped get the DOJ off Microsoft’s back in the famous case that they lost as a convicted monopolist! Who helped whom? Your take?