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Topic: Apple

15 things Apple could buy with its $137B cash reserve

Summary: Apple has $137.1 billion in cash, but more than two-thirds of it remains off-shore and outside of the U.S. taxman's reach. What could Apple spend all that cash on? We've got some suggestions.

Zack Whittaker

By for Between the Lines |

 |  Image 7 of 16

Buy Morocco, Cuba, or a small European country

The problem Apple has is that most of its cash offshore—68 percent, to be specific—and out of the U.S. taxman's hands. It can't repatriate its cash or the company will face massive tax bills.

One of the best solutions for Apple is to buy a small country—based on gross domestic product (GDP)—so it can bring in its cash from all corners of the world at a zero-percent tax rate.

Apple could buy country with a GDP of less than $137.1 billion, at least in theory (not including costs to build an iArmy to invade the place). It could make a bid for Morocco, Cuba, or even Luxembourg—a known tax haven—or a small European country like Latvia, and still have some cash left over to give everyone in the country an iPhone. 

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Topic: Apple

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74 comments
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  • Buy Microsoft

    Two companies, both struggling to adapt their legacy technologies to the post-PC era: they're made for each other, don't you think?
    ldo17
    Reply 1 Vote

    • Re: Buy Microsoft

      You know it makes sense. And they could unify their current fragmented efforts to fight Android.

      Who knows, they might even stand a chance.
      ldo17
      Reply 1 Vote

    • Microsoft is a poor investment...

      Microsoft have alienated and abandoned the people who made Microsoft the desktop standard over decades - power users. This is the beginning of the end for them. Post PC, Microsoft is going to swap market share with Apple and Android. As their lucrative OEM contracts expire, and desktop PC sales continue to decline, companies will examine their alternatives more closely. The masses of people who only use a tablet now don't care about running Windows applications. They'll just buy the tablet with the biggest ecosystem of hardware and software. They'll go for long battery life and storage. They won't care about desktop compatibility. Microsoft decided to make the desktop PC usable by simpletons right at the time when average users are switching away from desktop-centric usage scenarios. Shoehorning Windows Simpleton onto tablets just isn't the same as an OS designed for tablets from the start. It's fast, lean OS versus extremely FAT sluggish OS. Storage is a premium in tablets, so FAT OS = crippling OS.

      IMHO, Apple should use some of their cash reserves to design and manufacture a consumer friendly 3-D printer and software. They could completely own that fast-growing market in a year or two if they put their best people on it.
      BillDem
      Reply 2 Votes

  • Buy Microsoft

    Two companies, both struggling to adapt their legacy technologies to the post-PC era: they're made for each other, don't you think?
    ldo17
    Reply 1 Vote

    • Inwould say that Apple is thriving in the so called Pos PC Era.t

      That if anything Apple was "struggling" in the PC Era. Though I tend to doubt the whole Post PC ting anyway. Since every device mobile or otherwise is a computer and hence a PC.

      Pagan jim
      James Quinn
      Reply 3 Votes

      • Re: Since every device mobile or otherwise is a computer and hence a PC.

        Apple and Microsoft do their best to hide that fact, though, by crippling multitasking, denying access to the filesystem, and tightly controlling the ability to develop software for them.

        Android is the only mobile platform that doesn't try to pretend it's not a computer.
        ldo17
        Reply 2 Votes

        • Don't hink that is what is necessary for a device to be determined s

          computer. Just saying.....

          Pagan jim
          James Quinn
          Reply Vote

          • Re: Don't hink that is what is necessary for a device to be determined s

            In order to be called a "computer", it has to be able to do computery things. Just saying...
            ldo17
            Reply 2 Votes

          • And they do... If you want just another computer well how dull can that be?

            Besides I don't know what you're problem is I can multi task with my iPad.

            Pagan jim
            James Quinn
            Reply Vote

          • Re: I can multi task with my iPad.

            Apple has a bunch of different ways of not-quite-multitasking in IOS. And they added a few more in later versions. None of which work as simply as standard POSIX processes and threads, which is what you get courtesy of the Linux kernel on Android.

            Like I said, Apple and Microsoft try to pretend their mobile devices are not really computers, Android doesn't.
            ldo17
            Reply 1 Vote

          • Does it matter what you call it?

            That's just plain hinky, don't you hink? Or, it could be stinky. Or it could be hinkystinky. But it doesn't really matter what you call it, does it?
            SRSwain
            Reply 1 Vote

        • Android is malware by definition

          Provided by advertising and data mining giant Google. It is a platform people should stay clear off. But of course all of these free software and promises from Google are way to good to ignore.

          That you surrender your privacy and end up with a mediocre product, that does not perform and if you're lucky does not crash too often, that is taken for granted.
          sjaak327
          Reply 2 Votes

          • hmm...

            nice story troll.
            Naryan
            Reply 1 Vote

          • Crack

            I am reminded of the strategy used by drug dealers in the 70's and 80's of giving away cocaine to kids and weak-minded adults to get them hooked (addicted), then raping them for all their money.

            P.S. Ignore @Naryan name calling. Facts confuse the afore mentioned adults.
            JScottA44
            Reply 1 Vote

          • Cool Story Bro.

            Some of us prefer to take that "control" back and root/jailbreak our phones giving us access to the aforementioned and without those annoying ads, but thanks for playing.
            wasabitobiko
            Reply Vote

        • MS?

          Apple maybe but I can multitask just fine on my Win 8 tablet - I can also access the file system and develop software for it without issue - what are you talking about?
          archangel9999
          Reply 2 Votes

          • Re: I can multitask just fine on my Win 8 tablet

            Maybe you should buy two. That might help boost the sagging sales of Windows 8.
            ldo17
            Reply 1 Vote

          • Talking to hear yourself talk?

            By the way, every time I see your username it looks like 1dio7, ijs
            bobjones2007
            Reply Vote

    • Hmm...

      Two companies struggling? Microsoft struggling to come out with a tablet, Apple struggling to figure out what to do with $137 billion.
      RttheArtist
      Reply Vote

      • Re: Apple struggling to figure out what to do with $137 billion.

        Depends on whether you think its business is technology or banking.
        ldo17
        Reply Vote
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