Apple has $178 billion in cash reserves,
according to the company's recent first-quarter earnings. About $156 billion of that, or 87 percent,
is held outside the U.S. If Apple wants to repatriate this cash, it will have
to pay huge amounts in taxes and would lose a significant percent
overall.
Apple for now is just sitting on it, with no
significant plans to repatriate the cash or invest billions elsewhere.
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who has
spent the past two years lobbying Apple to give some of that cash back to
investors, may see that effort pay off. Apple chief executive Tim Cook hinted
at a conference Wednesday that the company might increase its dividends.
What else could the company actually do with
$178 billion? Here are some of our best ideas.
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