AOL, as one of the first companies to enter the internet service sector, actually enjoyed a good reputation on the East Coast.
In its early days to expand the business, Steve Case actively sought various potential partner companies for AOL.
In 1987, the partnership with Apple to develop Applelink was one of those initiatives, and later AOL continued to develop PC-Link for compatible machines.
This move greatly displeased Apple, as they did not want AOL to develop software for their competitors.
From a market perspective, Apple and other compatible machine manufacturers were in direct competition.
Any company that became part of Apple's supply chain could only serve Apple, that is, as an exclusive supplier.
AOL's behavior undoubtedly made Apple feel that it was supporting its own competitors, and this could even lead to the leakage of Apple's secrets.
So Apple forcefully demanded that AOL abandon the development of PC-Link and instead focus on Applelink.
