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Topic: Banking

Apple should acquire...

Summary: Yesterday's rumor from Gawker that Apple is in negotiations to acquire Twitter for $700 million made me smile. Not because I think that it would be a great acquisition (I don't) but because it's just one of the many companies that Cupertino has been rumored to buy over the years.

Jason D. O'Grady

By for The Apple Core |

money.jpg

Yesterday's rumor from Gawker that Apple is in negotiations to acquire Twitter for $700 million made me smile. Not because I think that it would be a great acquisition (I don't) but because it's just one of the many companies that Cupertino has been rumored to buy over the years.

Not that it couldn't. Apple has a very public $29 billion in cash reserves (which is bested only by Cisco’s $30 billion among tech companies) and could buy a substantial amount of the tech companies that are out there – they just never do. Apple seems perfectly content to sit on its cash hoard just in case a rainy day comes along.

Here's a short list of some of the companies that Apple has been rumored to acquire over the years:

I'm just as guilty as the rest for spending Apple's bankroll. I've suggested Apple acquire TiVo (serveral times), Netflix, Pandora,  Shazam, Midomi, Last.fm and even Hulu – but it doesn't look like that's going to happen either.

Who did I miss?

Photo: AppleGazette

Topics: Banking, Apple, Enterprise Software, Government

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10 comments
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  • Interesting that they are all media companies..

    ..Would you have made those predictions before Apple released iTunes and opened the iTunes Music Store?

    Apple has made their share of acquisitions before, and some of them have produced a major shift in product and marketing focus. (Think: eMagic, Nothing Real, Casady and Green (just the programmers for their MP3 software), NeXT)

    I wonder, if Apple were to buy Twitter, how out of step it really would be, and what kind of product would emerge?
    daftkey
    Reply Vote

  • Twitter?

    A narcasists dream site! I guess it would fit perfectly in the Apple family.
    OhTheHumanity
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Apple should acquire...

    RE: Twitter
    Twitter makes sense for ATT, not for apple. As a leverage
    point for Apple with ATT alone, it makes sense. Text is
    profit for wireless phone companies. For all Apple's
    marketing positioning, they are a pretty capitalist company
    and they leave market socialism and social media to
    google, who seems happy to throw away billions on it. I'd
    almost prefer that Apple bought ATT, (grin) then have ATT
    acquire social media assets that can be 'taxed' during
    distribution.

    RE: Netflix, and Tivo:
    Apple (unlike microsoft) is smart enough to know that they
    are really, really good at engineering. You buy companies
    to acquire customers, or rights, but not technology.
    Technology is not in documentation but in people's minds
    and people's minds do not jump between companies very
    well. So, they are better at engineering their own solution
    from scratch than acquiring companies like Tivo. Netflix
    just would compound the iTunes video problem. They're
    better off growing the business organically along with the
    marketplace. Shazaam they should buy simply because
    every single apple user can benefit from it.

    The most interesting new feature would be the
    incorporation of iPhoto's facial recognition into a service
    for the iphone. (we did a business model for it, but
    determined that it's too easy-entry with too few barriers
    and too much patent fighting.)

    I would prefer they'd work a shared deal with Google to
    buy facebook. Just because facebook is a great vehicle for
    distributing media produced using Apple products. And
    advertising across Google, Youtube and Facebook would
    make sense.
    PhiloEconomics
    Reply Vote

    • Apple buying AT&T would be very interesting.

      Of course I would immediately have to switch to Verizon. But it would be very interesting.

      I may even buy Apple stock if they did that...
      T1Oracle
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Apple should acquire...

    Apple needs media content to continue to push the digital
    download revolution forward. Movie studios and music labels
    are dragging everything down. Todays Apple is yesterdays
    Sony.
    Mike Zakreski
    Reply Vote

  • WHen even MS is chopping thousands of jobs

    It's really nice to have a nice pile of cash to get you
    through the tough times. I would not trade their
    level of financial support for a Twitter or a Tweet.
    Ken_z
    Reply Vote

    • True. Twitter = money sink nt

      nt
      T1Oracle
      Reply Vote

  • Why not buy Skype?

    eBay is willing to take a big loss on the deal. Apple could put Skype on ALL of its platforms - and milk the Skype-out money machine. Would it take sales (and revenue) away from the iPhone? Who cares, they would still be making money from Skype-out.
    Roger Ramjet
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Apple should acquire...

    Nothing. It should invest in to making better quality products.
    phatkat
    Reply Vote

  • TWINDLE ? - Finally! Twitter Kindle = Twindle!

    Skype! Now that would be a coup! Twitter, not so much. As soon as Google figures out how to Pawn their API and slurp their membership database it is over for Twitter. Unless the Twindle.me takes off.

    @jmacofearth
    John McElhenney
    Reply Vote
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