Subsidize the US Government? No...that would be an exercise in futility. How about Apple *running* the government as a business? Within a decade China would be borrowing money from us, the State Of The Union would be replaced by a Keynote presentation by Tim, Craig, Phil, and maybe an accounting gnome, and we'd all get Thanksgiving week off...with pay.
There is nothing you can do about iHaters, they have a mental affliction. You are projecting a societal mind set (envy of others doing better to put it simply) that doesn't fit in this case.
For the most part, average normal people that use Apple products come from all walks of life and represent all financial levels from the wealthy to the less well off. I don't believe amongst them you would find too many people feeling as you describe. I believe most people that love Apple products are happy to see Apple do well regardless of their personal financial levels.
As I say, those that cling to their PC built from parts at radio shack or their Android (because they were Microsoft lovers and Apple haters and MS don't have a mobile device they like) etc … the hate about Apple's success, be it iO7 adoption rates, money in the bank or Safari's total domination world wide … these things seem to make them crazy. I love it!
The best revenge is indeed success. With Apple's success I can enjoy some revenge myself vicariously.
Tim Cook has said repeatedly that Apple is a products company, plain and simple. If they became a financial institution all of a sudden that would be diametrically opposed to being a products company. Doesn't make any sense at all
Not necessarily. They could become like MC or Visa, which are competing services that work with an innumerable financial institutions, or Apple could be an intermediary between one or both of them as a way to build off their already prolific store of credit cards and mobile devices being used. This would strengthen their device sales, the way their current cloud services help to sell and link their device sales.
Tim Cook has said repeatedly that Apple is a products company, plain and simple. If they became a financial institution all of a sudden that would be diametrically opposed to being a products company. Doesn't make any sense at all
My meaning was as in financing the sale of their own products. Not diametrically opposed to being a products company at all IMHO. I wasn't meaning a conventional bank. Also the VC option as mentioned above is another excellent roll they could perform.
I keep wondering why Apple doesn't become a bank? Not a conventional one as such but a new kind of digital one (as only Apple can dream up). They are the most trusted /best know/ most admired / highest value brand / highest customer satisfaction … and so on … company on Earth (except for the iHaters), have more money than most countries and more credit card numbers than anyone else on the web. They have fingerprint verification and stores in the high street if needed.
Brilliant! I wish they would, too! I detest the big banks, insurance companies, cellphone providers and cable companies. Apple is one of the few companies I trust along with Toyota and Honda. For some reason, I can't think of any others!
Tim Cook has said repeatedly that Apple is a products company, plain and simple. If they became a financial institution all of a sudden that would be diametrically opposed to being a products company. Doesn't make any sense at all
I take your point but Ford, GM, Chrysler all had financing arms. I know a car purchase is way bigger than a computer but Apple could become an online bank very easily. They could call it Apple iBank. They could give a free toaster with a new account. Errr I mean, a free iPod Shuffle! A (product) RED Shuffle!
Does that $147 billion include just the money Apple has in the U.S., or does it also include money held overseas in order to dodge paying its fair share of taxes?
I take your point but Ford, GM, Chrysler all had financing arms. I know a car purchase is way bigger than a computer but Apple could become an online bank very easily. They could call it Apple iBank. They could give a free toaster with a new account. Errr I mean, a free iPod Shuffle! A (product) RED Shuffle!
There's already an Apple Bank so Apple iBank might be too similar.
Does that $147 billion include just the money Apple has in the U.S., or does it also include money held overseas in order to dodge paying its fair share of taxes?
It's all their money, all the other companies have money overseas as well.
Their product would be money. They print it, as is.
You could be joking, in which case, ha ha.
But if you're not, money is NOT a product. It's nothing more than idea backed by confidence. That confidence used to be backed by precious metals, but thanks to the Federal Reserve, that confidence can be rather easily manipulated--unless you put your CONFIDENCE in a company like Apple--a PRODUCTS company--which makes PRODUCTS (Product=a finished, high quality service or article in the hands of the consumer as an exchange for a valuable) very well, which products we have used for decades to produce our own products which have established our own prosperity.
I take your point but Ford, GM, Chrysler all had financing arms. I know a car purchase is way bigger than a computer but Apple could become an online bank very easily. They could call it Apple iBank. They could give a free toaster with a new account. Errr I mean, a free iPod Shuffle! A (product) RED Shuffle!
Bad idea. A major factor in Apple's power and success is its focus on its mission which does NOT include mucking around with money and finance. Leave that to the truly greedy money manipulators who produce NOTHING of substance.
I keep wondering why Apple doesn't become a bank? Not a conventional one as such but a new kind of digital one (as only Apple can dream up). They are the most trusted /best know/ most admired / highest value brand / highest customer satisfaction … and so on … company on Earth (except for the iHaters), have more money than most countries and more credit card numbers than anyone else on the web. They have fingerprint verification and stores in the high street if needed.
Brilliant! I wish they would, too! I detest the big banks, insurance companies, cellphone providers and cable companies. Apple is one of the few companies I trust along with Toyota and Honda. For some reason, I can't think of any others!
Do you have sense of all the hundreds of new regulations that would befall them overnight?
Apple shouldn't go anywhere near something like that. It would be strategic stupidity.
Does that $147 billion include just the money Apple has in the U.S., or does it also include money held overseas in order to dodge paying its fair share of taxes?
About two-thirds of the money is outside the US. And rightly so.
It is all after-tax cash. Apple 'dodges' no taxes. Not a cent. They have paid their 'fair share' of taxes where and when they are required to, including in the US. They are the single largest tax-paying corporation in the US.
Comments
Or in this case, "I’d shut it down and give the money back to the taxpayers".
Step one is complete, but that next step is tricky.
"Apple to subsidize U.S. Government."
Oh, how I'd pay to see that headline...
Subsidize the US Government? No...that would be an exercise in futility. How about Apple *running* the government as a business? Within a decade China would be borrowing money from us, the State Of The Union would be replaced by a Keynote presentation by Tim, Craig, Phil, and maybe an accounting gnome, and we'd all get Thanksgiving week off...with pay.
The best revenge is indeed success. With Apple's success I can enjoy some revenge myself vicariously.
Not necessarily. They could become like MC or Visa, which are competing services that work with an innumerable financial institutions, or Apple could be an intermediary between one or both of them as a way to build off their already prolific store of credit cards and mobile devices being used. This would strengthen their device sales, the way their current cloud services help to sell and link their device sales.
My meaning was as in financing the sale of their own products. Not diametrically opposed to being a products company at all IMHO. I wasn't meaning a conventional bank. Also the VC option as mentioned above is another excellent roll they could perform.
Me too
Is anyone else getting a Safari crash when posting to this blog? I am using 10.8.5 and Safari 6.1.
If they have any T-bills, they've already done that.
Whether it's safe is anyone's guess, but I would venture that there still aren't too many safer investments.
Exactly, we just didn't need to borrow money for a brief period.
When posting or when editing posts? That used to happen on the latter for me (they seem to have fixed it now), but Mavericks and Safari 7.
I keep wondering why Apple doesn't become a bank? Not a conventional one as such but a new kind of digital one (as only Apple can dream up). They are the most trusted /best know/ most admired / highest value brand / highest customer satisfaction … and so on … company on Earth (except for the iHaters), have more money than most countries and more credit card numbers than anyone else on the web. They have fingerprint verification and stores in the high street if needed.
Brilliant! I wish they would, too! I detest the big banks, insurance companies, cellphone providers and cable companies. Apple is one of the few companies I trust along with Toyota and Honda. For some reason, I can't think of any others!
Tim Cook has said repeatedly that Apple is a products company, plain and simple. If they became a financial institution all of a sudden that would be diametrically opposed to being a products company. Doesn't make any sense at all
I take your point but Ford, GM, Chrysler all had financing arms. I know a car purchase is way bigger than a computer but Apple could become an online bank very easily. They could call it Apple iBank. They could give a free toaster with a new account. Errr I mean, a free iPod Shuffle! A (product) RED Shuffle!
Does that $147 billion include just the money Apple has in the U.S., or does it also include money held overseas in order to dodge paying its fair share of taxes?
There's already an Apple Bank so Apple iBank might be too similar.
It's all their money, all the other companies have money overseas as well.
Their product would be money. They print it, as is.
You could be joking, in which case, ha ha.
But if you're not, money is NOT a product. It's nothing more than idea backed by confidence. That confidence used to be backed by precious metals, but thanks to the Federal Reserve, that confidence can be rather easily manipulated--unless you put your CONFIDENCE in a company like Apple--a PRODUCTS company--which makes PRODUCTS (Product=a finished, high quality service or article in the hands of the consumer as an exchange for a valuable) very well, which products we have used for decades to produce our own products which have established our own prosperity.
I take your point but Ford, GM, Chrysler all had financing arms. I know a car purchase is way bigger than a computer but Apple could become an online bank very easily. They could call it Apple iBank. They could give a free toaster with a new account. Errr I mean, a free iPod Shuffle! A (product) RED Shuffle!
Bad idea. A major factor in Apple's power and success is its focus on its mission which does NOT include mucking around with money and finance. Leave that to the truly greedy money manipulators who produce NOTHING of substance.
Bring Elon Musk on board, heck, Dean Kamen as well, and fund some real "think different" ideas and do some real transformational stuff.
Edit: Ray Ozzie, too. I could go on and on.
I agree with you that Apple's board is due for a serious overhaul. A bunch of has-beens, really.
Musk and Kamen -- maybe. Ray Ozzie, though? No.
I think they should add someone from outside the US to the board.
I keep wondering why Apple doesn't become a bank? Not a conventional one as such but a new kind of digital one (as only Apple can dream up). They are the most trusted /best know/ most admired / highest value brand / highest customer satisfaction … and so on … company on Earth (except for the iHaters), have more money than most countries and more credit card numbers than anyone else on the web. They have fingerprint verification and stores in the high street if needed.
Brilliant! I wish they would, too! I detest the big banks, insurance companies, cellphone providers and cable companies. Apple is one of the few companies I trust along with Toyota and Honda. For some reason, I can't think of any others!
Do you have sense of all the hundreds of new regulations that would befall them overnight?
Apple shouldn't go anywhere near something like that. It would be strategic stupidity.
Does that $147 billion include just the money Apple has in the U.S., or does it also include money held overseas in order to dodge paying its fair share of taxes?
About two-thirds of the money is outside the US. And rightly so.
It is all after-tax cash. Apple 'dodges' no taxes. Not a cent. They have paid their 'fair share' of taxes where and when they are required to, including in the US. They are the single largest tax-paying corporation in the US.