[jhuckestein]

FWIW, I recall Jobs' biography mentioning that he was not a great negotiator because he was at times impulsive and abrasive. I think somebody in the book, maybe Jobs himself, is quoted as saying that Tim Cook was a much more effective negotiator.

Like others have said, this was not a difficult negotiation for Apple. Maybe Murdoch could have used the other verticals (video and newspapers) in a better way or tried to leverage an upcoming big release. I don't think they had reason to give in either way though.