Is it a better strategy for Apple to continue acquiring small companies or should they try for a larger company such as Adobe or Intuit? Just wondering what people think.
Any company that has a product line %60 or more aimed towards PC is not a good acquisition unless the company is really small.
You can forget Apple acquiring Adobe that makes no sense. Adobe has 4 stalwart apps and the rest is stuff Apple has no interest in pushing. They could make their own apps for far less.
Intuit...no potential for big bucks here either. Hell I'm beginning to think it's just easier to track your money with Excel versus the convoluted UI that Quicken has become.
I do think Apple should either acquire or OEM some networking. They need Apple Branded Switches(especially Fiber) and other high margin networking products. Asante would be a cheap purchase.
Move OSX out onto the desktop. Start doubling the sales of Xserves in a desktop(read non computer cluster) environment and sales will improve.
Develop an Apple Suite( yes I know ..ad naseaum) and say the hell with MS. MS is free to try to harm Apple's iPod cash cow thus Apple should feel free to grab marketshare with their own suite.
Develop an Apple Suite( yes I know ..ad naseaum) and say the hell with MS. MS is free to try to harm Apple's iPod cash cow thus Apple should feel free to grab marketshare with their own suite.
It is long past time for Apple to be groveling to MS to keep MS office software on the Mac. Open/StarOffice has MS reeling right now and it's only going to get worse for them over time.
I'm not sure there really is anyone for Apple to buy to help the effort though.
Minimum Apple should adopt the OpenOffice file formats.
It would be wonderful if Apple changed the OO text document extension from the inane one it currently is to .doc - embrace and extend. FU MS.
Come right out an make an announcement that Apple is dumping MS for OpenOffice. Be bold, go on the offensive.
It is long past time for Apple to be groveling to MS to keep MS office software on the Mac. Open/StarOffice has MS reeling right now and it's only going to get worse for them over time.
I'm not sure there really is anyone for Apple to buy to help the effort though.
Minimum Apple should adopt the OpenOffice file formats.
It would be wonderful if Apple changed the OO text document extension from the inane one it currently is to .doc - embrace and extend. FU MS.
Come right out an make an announcement that Apple is dumping MS for OpenOffice. Be bold, go on the offensive.
It is a bit too early to promote OpenOffice.org as a full out alternative to MS Office. Wait a few years, and it'll be there, but not right now.
In the meantime, Apple can either develop its own office suite or buy a few small companies that make good word processor, spreadsheet, etc., applications in order to make an alternative office suite that's fully integrated in the OS X experience.
If Apple wants brand recognition, there is always the WordPerfect office suite that could be acquired, although they would have to develop a new Mac version (there hasn't been one for years now).
This is a good thread topic, most interesting I've seen in a while. I think unless OpenOffice becomes widely accepted and a bit refined (think of the way Linux has been refined over the last 2 years especially) then its pointless to adopt any of its standards. The same theory is true for Wordperfect in the sense that the file formats must be widely accepted on both PC and Mac in order for it to be considered a true alternative to M$ Word.
I think that with the footing that Apple has made in the post production arena it would a logical step to aquire a 3D modeling platform such as Maya (which has changed hands several times over the last couple of years). Perhaps even something such as Form-Z which crosses over into the engineering side of 3D. Additionally I think it would be very smart to aquire a company with powerfull translation tools and technology such as Polytrans from Okino. This sort of duo would allow for Apple to offer a powerfull set of Animation & Visualization tools that would have some engineering applications. This also extends the possibility of a 3D product that takes advantage of Pixar's Renderman shading language (Makes Maya sound even sweeter).
"I think unless OpenOffice becomes widely accepted and a bit refined (think of the way Linux has been refined over the last 2 years especially) then its pointless to adopt any of its standards."
Pointless???
OpenOffice is being adopted by governments and companies all over the planet. It would be silly for Apple sit on their asses waiting around.
And these office defections will keep coming. The same bold thinking to that led to Apple dumping IE for an open standard html engine needs to happend with office software.
"I think unless OpenOffice becomes widely accepted and a bit refined (think of the way Linux has been refined over the last 2 years especially) then its pointless to adopt any of its standards."
Pointless???
OpenOffice is being adopted by governments and companies all over the planet. It would be silly for Apple sit on their asses waiting around.
And these office defections will keep coming. The same bold thinking to that led to Apple dumping IE for an open standard html engine needs to happend with office software.
TiVo doesn't quite have the market defining brand recognition the iPod has, but it still is the first name you think of for PVRs.
TiVo's software is decent, but it could be fantastic if Apple were to acquire them and create something as powerful and elegant as iTunes for TV shows to work with TiVo's hardware.
The Mac version of Maya has gotten much better this last version, and hopefully it will continue to come up to the same quality level as the MS version as time goes on.
It's very appealing to think of what Apple could do with Maya on a Aqua/Cocoa/UI level, but I would dread having them kill off the MS OS version.
The Mac version of Maya has gotten much better this last version, and hopefully it will continue to come up to the same quality level as the MS version as time goes on.
It's very appealing to think of what Apple could do with Maya on a Aqua/Cocoa/UI level, but I would dread having them kill off the MS OS version.
I like what Apple did with Shake, discontinue further development on the PC and charge twice as much for the PC version. It makes me laugh every time I hear it (because its such an assanine thing to do).
I like what Apple did with Shake, discontinue further development on the PC and charge twice as much for the PC version. It makes me laugh every time I hear it (because its such an assanine thing to do).
Apple just made it easier to get into Shake on the Mac OS X platform...
And they cut the price of the Mac version in half; they didn't double the price of the Linux version...
Shake Linux/Irix was MUCH more popular than windows. It was easy to knife the windows version because it was the lowest in sales on the X86 platform. People have overstated the reasons why Apple cancelled the Windows version. It has less to do with Apple's animosity towards Windows and all to do with a standard biz decision.
Apple's acquisitions will probably continue to be small and strategic, in the sense that they first determine what they need done, then determine whether they can do it in house. Then, if they need something done that they don't have the expertise for, they go looking for someone who does.
I really don't see them swallowing up entire corporations; not of any size. When they wanted a video editing app, they bought an app under development, and its development team, from Macromedia, and turned it into FCP. That would probably be the template as far as acquiring things from large companies goes.
Comments
You can forget Apple acquiring Adobe that makes no sense. Adobe has 4 stalwart apps and the rest is stuff Apple has no interest in pushing. They could make their own apps for far less.
Intuit...no potential for big bucks here either. Hell I'm beginning to think it's just easier to track your money with Excel versus the convoluted UI that Quicken has become.
I do think Apple should either acquire or OEM some networking. They need Apple Branded Switches(especially Fiber) and other high margin networking products. Asante would be a cheap purchase.
Move OSX out onto the desktop. Start doubling the sales of Xserves in a desktop(read non computer cluster) environment and sales will improve.
Develop an Apple Suite( yes I know ..ad naseaum) and say the hell with MS. MS is free to try to harm Apple's iPod cash cow thus Apple should feel free to grab marketshare with their own suite.
Originally posted by hmurchison
Develop an Apple Suite( yes I know ..ad naseaum) and say the hell with MS. MS is free to try to harm Apple's iPod cash cow thus Apple should feel free to grab marketshare with their own suite.
It is long past time for Apple to be groveling to MS to keep MS office software on the Mac. Open/StarOffice has MS reeling right now and it's only going to get worse for them over time.
I'm not sure there really is anyone for Apple to buy to help the effort though.
Minimum Apple should adopt the OpenOffice file formats.
It would be wonderful if Apple changed the OO text document extension from the inane one it currently is to .doc - embrace and extend. FU MS.
Come right out an make an announcement that Apple is dumping MS for OpenOffice. Be bold, go on the offensive.
Originally posted by Tuttle
It is long past time for Apple to be groveling to MS to keep MS office software on the Mac. Open/StarOffice has MS reeling right now and it's only going to get worse for them over time.
I'm not sure there really is anyone for Apple to buy to help the effort though.
Minimum Apple should adopt the OpenOffice file formats.
It would be wonderful if Apple changed the OO text document extension from the inane one it currently is to .doc - embrace and extend. FU MS.
Come right out an make an announcement that Apple is dumping MS for OpenOffice. Be bold, go on the offensive.
It is a bit too early to promote OpenOffice.org as a full out alternative to MS Office. Wait a few years, and it'll be there, but not right now.
In the meantime, Apple can either develop its own office suite or buy a few small companies that make good word processor, spreadsheet, etc., applications in order to make an alternative office suite that's fully integrated in the OS X experience.
If Apple wants brand recognition, there is always the WordPerfect office suite that could be acquired, although they would have to develop a new Mac version (there hasn't been one for years now).
I think that with the footing that Apple has made in the post production arena it would a logical step to aquire a 3D modeling platform such as Maya (which has changed hands several times over the last couple of years). Perhaps even something such as Form-Z which crosses over into the engineering side of 3D. Additionally I think it would be very smart to aquire a company with powerfull translation tools and technology such as Polytrans from Okino. This sort of duo would allow for Apple to offer a powerfull set of Animation & Visualization tools that would have some engineering applications. This also extends the possibility of a 3D product that takes advantage of Pixar's Renderman shading language (Makes Maya sound even sweeter).
Pointless???
OpenOffice is being adopted by governments and companies all over the planet. It would be silly for Apple sit on their asses waiting around.
This is just from today's news:
http://www.computerweekly.com/articl...earch=&nPage=1
And these office defections will keep coming. The same bold thinking to that led to Apple dumping IE for an open standard html engine needs to happend with office software.
Originally posted by Tuttle
"I think unless OpenOffice becomes widely accepted and a bit refined (think of the way Linux has been refined over the last 2 years especially) then its pointless to adopt any of its standards."
Pointless???
OpenOffice is being adopted by governments and companies all over the planet. It would be silly for Apple sit on their asses waiting around.
This is just from today's news:
http://www.computerweekly.com/articl...earch=&nPage=1
And these office defections will keep coming. The same bold thinking to that led to Apple dumping IE for an open standard html engine needs to happend with office software.
I conceed, you have a good point.
TiVo doesn't quite have the market defining brand recognition the iPod has, but it still is the first name you think of for PVRs.
TiVo's software is decent, but it could be fantastic if Apple were to acquire them and create something as powerful and elegant as iTunes for TV shows to work with TiVo's hardware.
Originally posted by Tuttle
I say TiVo.
Watch out or we're going to end up in Digital Hub.
I think that with the footing that Apple has made in the post production arena it would a logical step to aquire a 3D modeling platform such as Maya
A-f***ing-greed!!!!
--B
It's very appealing to think of what Apple could do with Maya on a Aqua/Cocoa/UI level, but I would dread having them kill off the MS OS version.
Originally posted by Tuttle
The Mac version of Maya has gotten much better this last version, and hopefully it will continue to come up to the same quality level as the MS version as time goes on.
It's very appealing to think of what Apple could do with Maya on a Aqua/Cocoa/UI level, but I would dread having them kill off the MS OS version.
I like what Apple did with Shake, discontinue further development on the PC and charge twice as much for the PC version. It makes me laugh every time I hear it (because its such an assanine thing to do).
Originally posted by Playmaker
I like what Apple did with Shake, discontinue further development on the PC and charge twice as much for the PC version. It makes me laugh every time I hear it (because its such an assanine thing to do).
Apple just made it easier to get into Shake on the Mac OS X platform...
And they cut the price of the Mac version in half; they didn't double the price of the Linux version...
I really don't see them swallowing up entire corporations; not of any size. When they wanted a video editing app, they bought an app under development, and its development team, from Macromedia, and turned it into FCP. That would probably be the template as far as acquiring things from large companies goes.