My Gawd what drooling gibberish from Financial Times.
Console gaming? All they need to do is make a controller and open up apps on AppleTV, maybe shove in a nice GPU to go with the A4 processor and voila... Apple Gaming Console that probably could do better graphics than a PS3 -- whose graphics are dated, pixelated, and just... *sigh*
FT is just trying to make sense of something they don't understand and they aren't going to understand. Many many years ago, back when the FT reporters were probably little boys and girls, Steve Jobs used to tell friends and colleagues about his admiration for Sony and the Walkman. It was able to change culture and it was beautiful. It was a cult product. And Steve wanted to work with Sony and learn from Sony about the process by which they made such things that align technology with need. And he did.
When the ipod came out...it made perfect sense that this was a direction that Steve would want to push the company. Not to invent, but to innovate using mostly existing technology to make something really cool that would be culturally iconic. Again with the iPhone. And when we see not a netbook, but a forward-looking device to try to better align technology to need, the iPad makes perfect sense.
This whole thing got rolling because Steve Jobs said he wants to hold on to the $50 billion for strategic acquisitions. So you have this company that buys technologies for like a half a billion dollars...and you want to guess what they are going to use $50 billion for?
I will say...many many years ago...maybe 20 years ago, Steve Jobs used to talk about a fantasy of his where he would create the ability for people to create their own TV stations. They would not be subject to the whims of programming directors or kind of the narrow pipeline of broadcast frequency or even cable channels. He thought this would be really cool. Steve has also said going back many many years that he thinks in terms primary technologies and the application of what apple is good at (software, design, interface, user experience). What do we need to do this...what can we make well...what do we have to buy....
What are the pieces to making a successful technology that would allow you to create your own TV station? Maybe there is a piece or two there that might require amounts of money approaching $50B...where the technology is not quite there yet, but getting closer and closer....and when the time comes, the money will be needed....
A new rumor has pegged Apple and its $51 billion in cash and investments as a potential buyer of Sony, prompting the largest trading volume of the Japanese electronics company in 3 months.
Of course Steve was fascinated by Sony. They were the model for quality consumer electronics products. Today, though, Apple is the center of creative thought and quality design in its niches of consumer electronics. Apple would have little use for most of today's Sony, which is slogging through the trenches in mature markets against lower-cost competition. Apple will not buy Sony whole. A chunk of it? Maybe, but the parts Apple might want are exactly the parts to which Sony's management would most want to hold on.
Of course this would never happen, but imagine the 33 billion dollar FU to Eric over at google when steve literally rips google tv out of 'his' products
That would be like the most kool you tube video ever!!!!!
It would get them into just about every design house and production studio on the planet:
Adobe has Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Premiere, After Effects, Dreamweaver, Lightroom.
Apple has Aperture (direct competitor to Lightroom), Final Cut Studio (direct competitor to Premiere), Motion (direct competitor to After Effects), Logic (direct competitor to Soundbooth), etc.
If Apple bought Adobe, they would own the content creation/delivery market.
Apple are already in every design house and production studio on the planet.
And they would not win any friends by discontinuing PC products.
If Apple is going to make a massive acquisition it will be to take them into a new business. Not make a modest boost to a current one.
One of the dumbest Apple rumours ever. It would make no sense at all for Apple to buy Sony. They would gain nothing. There is little Sony does that Apple does not do better or would do better if they wanted into that market.
This is, by far, the stupidest idea or rumour that I have ever, ever read in this site.
To consider that so many schmucks happily entered the bandwagon on the trade exchange is stunning. It's quite informative on the complete lack of rationality of the markets.
This is nothing new. The rumor has been around for years.
It would be illegal under Japanese law for Apple to purchase Sony, unlike America, Japan considers it almost like a foreign invasion for an outside company to take control of one of theirs and even if it weren't illegal, the chances of a Japanese company selling out to an American would be extremely low, Japanese people are extremely nationalistic and xenophobic and even a tad bit racist.
I am one of the suckers that bought heavily into their minidisc technology........ the biggest waste of electronics $$ in my life (and I waste a lot of $$ on electronics!). \
And, from what I've read, the proprietary (and bundled) memory stick technology is is one of the key factors that led them down the path to irrelevancy in their consumer products.
So, not very good examples.
Well, to be fair, at the time it was the best option. I too invested a lot into MD tech and to be able to record digitally in the palm of your hand (listening to albums would never fly but for musicians, the thing was awesome.)
I don't regret it.. but that was my first lesson in the movement and pace of technology and how you can get left out eventually.
From someone whose telling others to know what they're talking about...
Every single level? I must have missed Apple's entry into the TV market. Or the home and car audio/video markets (unless you want to count the discontinued speaker thing or the poorly selling AppleTV). Or the video recording business. Or Apple's music label? Movie studio? TV show division? Gaming division?
Should I continue?
I couldn't think of any good reason why Apple would want Sony - but you bring up some interesting points. There might be a few fields where a purchase would give them more leverage.
Apple TV - Sony televisions (e.g. Bravia)/Blu-ray players
iTunes/iPod - Sony Music; Television studio
iLife - digital cameras/camcorders
App Store/iOS - PlayStation
However, Apple's philosophy has always been (under Jobs, anyway) to focus on a few products and do them well. I think the whole thing would be waaayy too messy. If Apple really took over, they'd probably slash half of Sony's product lines. Maybe they'd simply license some IP, do some software/hardware integration as described above. But I still highly doubt it, considering how secretive and centrally-controlled Apple is.
One of the dumbest Apple rumours ever. It would make no sense at all for Apple to buy Sony. They would gain nothing. There is little Sony does that Apple does not do better or would do better if they wanted into that market.
Sony have really good engineers and build a lot of power into small form factors. They are also huge in home entertainment.
The first thing Apple would do is discontinue Blu-Ray of course but at least we'd have a powerful games console and Apple could simultaneously release games for the PS3 and Mac, competing against the XBox 360/Windows eco-system. I know which I'd rather have. Uncharted 2 on my Mac would be sweeet.
It's not likely though. A buyout of the likes of Samsung might be a more profitable venture. There's also partnerships to be made.
Comments
Just asking ... what part of accepting is required in a hostile take over or were you referring to a hotel in Japan?
I think he dropped a comma between the word "bid" and the word "and". It changes the meaning significantly.
Thompson
My Gawd what drooling gibberish from Financial Times.
Console gaming? All they need to do is make a controller and open up apps on AppleTV, maybe shove in a nice GPU to go with the A4 processor and voila... Apple Gaming Console that probably could do better graphics than a PS3 -- whose graphics are dated, pixelated, and just... *sigh*
FT is just trying to make sense of something they don't understand and they aren't going to understand. Many many years ago, back when the FT reporters were probably little boys and girls, Steve Jobs used to tell friends and colleagues about his admiration for Sony and the Walkman. It was able to change culture and it was beautiful. It was a cult product. And Steve wanted to work with Sony and learn from Sony about the process by which they made such things that align technology with need. And he did.
When the ipod came out...it made perfect sense that this was a direction that Steve would want to push the company. Not to invent, but to innovate using mostly existing technology to make something really cool that would be culturally iconic. Again with the iPhone. And when we see not a netbook, but a forward-looking device to try to better align technology to need, the iPad makes perfect sense.
This whole thing got rolling because Steve Jobs said he wants to hold on to the $50 billion for strategic acquisitions. So you have this company that buys technologies for like a half a billion dollars...and you want to guess what they are going to use $50 billion for?
I will say...many many years ago...maybe 20 years ago, Steve Jobs used to talk about a fantasy of his where he would create the ability for people to create their own TV stations. They would not be subject to the whims of programming directors or kind of the narrow pipeline of broadcast frequency or even cable channels. He thought this would be really cool. Steve has also said going back many many years that he thinks in terms primary technologies and the application of what apple is good at (software, design, interface, user experience). What do we need to do this...what can we make well...what do we have to buy....
What are the pieces to making a successful technology that would allow you to create your own TV station? Maybe there is a piece or two there that might require amounts of money approaching $50B...where the technology is not quite there yet, but getting closer and closer....and when the time comes, the money will be needed....
I would say look there.
Adobe would be a better acquisition.
It'd be a very strategic one:
1. It'd be a great way to end the Flash wars and fully focus on HTML5.
2. Oh, and didn't Microsoft show interest in acquiring Adobe as well?
Flash is going to die on its own.
A new rumor has pegged Apple and its $51 billion in cash and investments as a potential buyer of Sony, prompting the largest trading volume of the Japanese electronics company in 3 months.
Of course Steve was fascinated by Sony. They were the model for quality consumer electronics products. Today, though, Apple is the center of creative thought and quality design in its niches of consumer electronics. Apple would have little use for most of today's Sony, which is slogging through the trenches in mature markets against lower-cost competition. Apple will not buy Sony whole. A chunk of it? Maybe, but the parts Apple might want are exactly the parts to which Sony's management would most want to hold on.
I think this rumor's dead in the water.
Of course this would never happen, but imagine the 33 billion dollar FU to Eric over at google when steve literally rips google tv out of 'his' products
That would be like the most kool you tube video ever!!!!!
I don't think he meant value..
If he didn't mean value then what did he mean?
It would get them into just about every design house and production studio on the planet:
Adobe has Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Premiere, After Effects, Dreamweaver, Lightroom.
Apple has Aperture (direct competitor to Lightroom), Final Cut Studio (direct competitor to Premiere), Motion (direct competitor to After Effects), Logic (direct competitor to Soundbooth), etc.
If Apple bought Adobe, they would own the content creation/delivery market.
Apple are already in every design house and production studio on the planet.
And they would not win any friends by discontinuing PC products.
If Apple is going to make a massive acquisition it will be to take them into a new business. Not make a modest boost to a current one.
C.
Apple needs more capacity and more reasons for people to buy their products.
1) Buy production from acquiring manufactures.
2) Buy Sprint and Apple could form its own wireless network.
Take it Easy
They should buy Snapple too!
Why not? The name rhymes, and they sell zillions of soft drinks.
One of the dumbest Apple rumours ever. It would make no sense at all for Apple to buy Sony. They would gain nothing. There is little Sony does that Apple does not do better or would do better if they wanted into that market.
Gaming comes to mind
- Access to Asian Markets. Anyone know what Sony's marketshare is in China?
? Owning the Sony music and movie libraries guarantees content for Apple's "hobbies"
- Blu-ray licenses, no longer a bag of hurt
- Chance to kick MS in the only real success it has had since Windows 95. Apple + Playstation means bad things for XBox.
- Absolutely gets Apple into the living room.
Apple can sell off the Sony units that don't make sense:
- Someone would buy the PC unit.
? Someone would buy the phone unit.
This is, by far, the stupidest idea or rumour that I have ever, ever read in this site.
To consider that so many schmucks happily entered the bandwagon on the trade exchange is stunning. It's quite informative on the complete lack of rationality of the markets.
This is nothing new. The rumor has been around for years.
Originally Posted by BB Sting
It would be illegal under Japanese law for Apple to purchase Sony, unlike America, Japan considers it almost like a foreign invasion for an outside company to take control of one of theirs and even if it weren't illegal, the chances of a Japanese company selling out to an American would be extremely low, Japanese people are extremely nationalistic and xenophobic and even a tad bit racist.
Oh the irony...
Biggest laugh of the day, thank you bloggerblog.
Could it be a Sony planted rumor for stock price enhancement?
Yeah, that must be it. And when we see Sony execs frog-walked into a Federal courthouse, we'll know it's true.
I am one of the suckers that bought heavily into their minidisc technology........ the biggest waste of electronics $$ in my life (and I waste a lot of $$ on electronics!).
And, from what I've read, the proprietary (and bundled) memory stick technology is is one of the key factors that led them down the path to irrelevancy in their consumer products.
So, not very good examples.
Well, to be fair, at the time it was the best option. I too invested a lot into MD tech and to be able to record digitally in the palm of your hand (listening to albums would never fly but for musicians, the thing was awesome.)
I don't regret it.. but that was my first lesson in the movement and pace of technology and how you can get left out eventually.
From someone whose telling others to know what they're talking about...
Every single level? I must have missed Apple's entry into the TV market. Or the home and car audio/video markets (unless you want to count the discontinued speaker thing or the poorly selling AppleTV). Or the video recording business. Or Apple's music label? Movie studio? TV show division? Gaming division?
Should I continue?
I couldn't think of any good reason why Apple would want Sony - but you bring up some interesting points. There might be a few fields where a purchase would give them more leverage.
Apple TV - Sony televisions (e.g. Bravia)/Blu-ray players
iTunes/iPod - Sony Music; Television studio
iLife - digital cameras/camcorders
App Store/iOS - PlayStation
However, Apple's philosophy has always been (under Jobs, anyway) to focus on a few products and do them well. I think the whole thing would be waaayy too messy. If Apple really took over, they'd probably slash half of Sony's product lines. Maybe they'd simply license some IP, do some software/hardware integration as described above. But I still highly doubt it, considering how secretive and centrally-controlled Apple is.
One of the dumbest Apple rumours ever. It would make no sense at all for Apple to buy Sony. They would gain nothing. There is little Sony does that Apple does not do better or would do better if they wanted into that market.
Sony have really good engineers and build a lot of power into small form factors. They are also huge in home entertainment.
The first thing Apple would do is discontinue Blu-Ray of course but at least we'd have a powerful games console and Apple could simultaneously release games for the PS3 and Mac, competing against the XBox 360/Windows eco-system. I know which I'd rather have. Uncharted 2 on my Mac would be sweeet.
It's not likely though. A buyout of the likes of Samsung might be a more profitable venture. There's also partnerships to be made.