Sony chairman and CEO Nobuyuki Idei said he would be more than happy to acquire Palm's software division and would consider buying Apple (among other companies)
Why not? If Sony continues to give Apple independence in its research and production, but gives its technical and marketing support, it may be a good thing.
Think of the possibility that all Sony devices will now work with the Mac. Furthermore, Sony has a considerable market power in Asia - Apple sales can be enhanced with Sony's help.
And all this may mean lower prices and higher innovation.
i won't weigh in on whether sony has the wherewith-all to buy apple. but i don't think they are a bad company.
i know it's a tiny tiny speck of the sony's overall interests, but being a jazz fan and seeing what sony has done to columbia records jazz catalog since acquiring them shows me that this is a company with a deep respect for quality and integrity, especially in a business (the music business) that is lacking in both.
is steve jobs going to live forever?* someday something will happen with apple, i don't think being owned by sony would be the death knell.
*i know this will be quoted and someone will say yes, it's what his designers will be working on after they are done with ipod-phone-viewer-popcorn popper....
I'd rather see the platform go to a company that already has the world by the balls than to dwindle away to an insignificant speck.
In ten years when everything has a computer in it and you can run photoshop on your refrigerator's OS how relevant will Apple's platform be?
As the 'nix clan grows stronger amongst those peecee folks who have no desire to buy into the Mac hardware, a tasty window manager will occur...or more likely a new paradigm will broadside us.
Either way, IF the company ever goes on the block I want somebody as consumer-savvy as Sony being the buyers.
plus sony made a concerted effort in 80's to not be a "japanese" company. at one time the majority of the their televisions were manufactured in the u.s.
another thing with sony is they've always been concerned with the way a product looks, as well as works. which fits with apple.
And only very recently did the look of their products begin to improve. Still some of their design remains horribly kludgey, like their Clie's (I know people like them, but they're chaotic) and their Vaio software and Vaio subnotes. Messy.
When Quark threatened to buy Adobe, it was black humour. When Sony hints at buying Apple, it's serious.
To begin with, they can afford it.
Second. Does everybody on earth knows what is Apple? Yet everybody knows at least that there is Sony.
Third. In the totally globalizing world of international corporations Apple remains an American company (because it still ignores not only countries, but whole continents), while Sony is actually international.
Fourth. Apple is not for sale. Yet.
Fifth. Sony being able to buy Apple doesn't mean Sony is ever going to do that. They should have an elaborated business plan about why they want Apple before they approach Apple with such ideas.
Sixth. If His Steveness does not call a press conference tomorrow to call Nobuyuki Idei an a$$hole, this all may be just a hint to Microsoft that Apple is here forever even if its market share falls below zero.
Seventh and the most important thought. Are you sure his words are not taken out of context, not distorted by the crowd's noise and translated (if they needed translation) correctly?
i was thinking more of the 70's and 80's. it's just that looking at the vaio and the clie i realized that i hadn't thought of sony that way in ages. i have no practical experience with them other than playing with them at the sony store. i just felt the same way looking at their products as i do apple.
another thing they have in common with apple is aiko morita who was the visionary for sony from the pocket radio, home video, to the c.d., to the walkman.
i think steve jobs "read that magnificent bastard's book!"
again i don't know enough about the financial aspects of apple to speculate, but doesn't jobs control enough stock and have enough of a cash reserve so that apple could not be "hostiley taken over"
i mean, they would have to actually seek out a buyer and say "hey are you interested?"
[quote]Sony has enough issues with being a Entertianment/Hardware company. Their internal conflicts as far as Piracy issues are legendary. <hr></blockquote>
i don't think there is company involved in the whole piracy debate that isn't looking at it from both sides. there are conflicts of interest all over the place.
After reconsidering my original statement I realized that I do have one problem with Sony: their proprietary hardware systems. Sony is the Microsoft of the entertainment industry in many ways. Instead of using open standards they fight to introduce their OWN hardware and MAKE it standard. That, of course, is the business they're in.
The OpenSource strategy of Apple doesn't necessarily seem to sync with Sony's tendencies. Go read one of the most recent issues of WIRED to read about the internal conflicts Sony is having with digital media.
So, the consumerness of Sony I like, the other bits I'm not so keen on.
Comments
[ 03-06-2003: Message edited by: Bioflavonoid ]</p>
Think of the possibility that all Sony devices will now work with the Mac. Furthermore, Sony has a considerable market power in Asia - Apple sales can be enhanced with Sony's help.
And all this may mean lower prices and higher innovation.
[ 03-06-2003: Message edited by: FotNS ]</p>
<strong>Who says it's for sale?
The Stock Market?
<strong>Oh yeah, maybe my new Vaio PC will be able to run OS X and Windows XP!</strong><hr></blockquote>
O God... noooooooOOOOOOOOOOOoooooo
i know it's a tiny tiny speck of the sony's overall interests, but being a jazz fan and seeing what sony has done to columbia records jazz catalog since acquiring them shows me that this is a company with a deep respect for quality and integrity, especially in a business (the music business) that is lacking in both.
is steve jobs going to live forever?* someday something will happen with apple, i don't think being owned by sony would be the death knell.
*i know this will be quoted and someone will say yes, it's what his designers will be working on after they are done with ipod-phone-viewer-popcorn popper....
In ten years when everything has a computer in it and you can run photoshop on your refrigerator's OS how relevant will Apple's platform be?
As the 'nix clan grows stronger amongst those peecee folks who have no desire to buy into the Mac hardware, a tasty window manager will occur...or more likely a new paradigm will broadside us.
Either way, IF the company ever goes on the block I want somebody as consumer-savvy as Sony being the buyers.
What's "foreign" anymore??
another thing with sony is they've always been concerned with the way a product looks, as well as works. which fits with apple.
To begin with, they can afford it.
Second. Does everybody on earth knows what is Apple? Yet everybody knows at least that there is Sony.
Third. In the totally globalizing world of international corporations Apple remains an American company (because it still ignores not only countries, but whole continents), while Sony is actually international.
Fourth. Apple is not for sale. Yet.
Fifth. Sony being able to buy Apple doesn't mean Sony is ever going to do that. They should have an elaborated business plan about why they want Apple before they approach Apple with such ideas.
Sixth. If His Steveness does not call a press conference tomorrow to call Nobuyuki Idei an a$$hole, this all may be just a hint to Microsoft that Apple is here forever even if its market share falls below zero.
Seventh and the most important thought. Are you sure his words are not taken out of context, not distorted by the crowd's noise and translated (if they needed translation) correctly?
another thing they have in common with apple is aiko morita who was the visionary for sony from the pocket radio, home video, to the c.d., to the walkman.
i think steve jobs "read that magnificent bastard's book!"
Sony has enough issues with being a Entertianment/Hardware company. Their internal conflicts as far as Piracy issues are legendary.
i mean, they would have to actually seek out a buyer and say "hey are you interested?"
i don't think there is company involved in the whole piracy debate that isn't looking at it from both sides. there are conflicts of interest all over the place.
The OpenSource strategy of Apple doesn't necessarily seem to sync with Sony's tendencies. Go read one of the most recent issues of WIRED to read about the internal conflicts Sony is having with digital media.
So, the consumerness of Sony I like, the other bits I'm not so keen on.
That's what a night of sleep can do for you.