Why Sony should buy Apple

[MacBytes]

Category: Opinion and Speculation
Link: Why Sony should buy Apple (http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/start.html?pg=2)

Posted on MacBytes.com (http://www.macbytes.com)

Approved by arn

[Waluigi]

This guy makes a really convincing arguement. As long as the corprate end of the deal makes it easy for sony or apple to keep their own brand names (yes, there are many other issues). A sony/apple company seriously could take down microsoft, espically since microsoft sees its future in your living room, where sony has dominated for 20 years. Although this would mean sony would not make the VIAO or their MP3 players anymore, that shouldn't matter if sony/apple could pump out enough G5's and iPods (at a cheaper price too!) to make a profit.

What a fasinating dream, it would be for apple to have a huge hand in building the digital living room, and furthering their digital hub to a hige market. Unfortunately, that makes too much sense to ever happen.

--Waluigi

[aarond12]

Suppose Sony buys Apple. What then?

What will Sony bring to the table that Apple doesn't already have?

- A butt-load of money? Yeah. That's a good thing for marketing. Apple has not done a very good job marketing their products.

- Distribution? Apple already has it.

- Inventive products? Apple has them.

- Broad range of peripheral products? Well, yes. There are many Sony products (camcorders, digital cameras, monitors, etc.) that work well with Apple products.

But note the phrase "work well with Apple products". It seems like Apple would be the big dog and Sony the little one because Apple makes the computers.

Anything else? Well, no. Unless Sony stops making their Vaio PCs (fat chance). Sony makes products that complement Apple products. Leave the two companies apart.

[artificiallife]

Originally posted by aarond12
- Distribution? Apple already has it.


Hah! Then why are people waiting months for their G5s?

[Sayhey]

Does anyone really think that Jobs is going to stay at any company in which he doesn't have final say? I don't think he would be second in command to anyone. I think the only reason Apple is still around is because Jobs refuses to let his child die. He seems to have a long term strategy (moving to a partnership with IBM for chip development, an aggresive retail expansion, iTMS, iPod, etc.) that is designed to have Apple grow its market share. It's too early to see if it will work, but he sure isn't doing this to sell Apple to Sony. So if your looking for him to let any company buy Apple, think Pixar! :D

[irmongoose]

I'm still thinking Apple and Sun. Jobs would definitely have the upper hand in this team, and instead of trying to poke at the consumer market as Apple is doing now, they would be able to dig from inside out, from the high-end server market. Once they got all that covered, the consumers will come pouring in all by themselves...



irmongoose

[Sayhey]

Originally posted by irmongoose
I'm still thinking Apple and Sun. Jobs would definitely have the upper hand in this team, and instead of trying to poke at the consumer market as Apple is doing now, they would be able to dig from inside out, from the high-end server market. Once they got all that covered, the consumers will come pouring in all by themselves...



irmongoose

Although this makes sense from the standpoint of both companies complimenting each other, I still can't see how it could be done. Apple doesn't have the resources to buy out Sun, don't know if the same is true in reverse - but I can't cheer that outcome. As I said in another thread about this topic, I can't imagine Jobs and McNealy coexisting in a merged company.

[Mr. Anderson]

That was a very nicely done article. But as they pointed out Apple's success is pretty due to Jobs and the whole Sony/Apple deal would be dependent on him as well.

Which makes for interesting speculation as to what happens when Jobs retires..... :(

I'd like to see Apple get more exposure as long as it didn't impinge on its ability to create/innovate new things.

If Jobs can some how find someone to keep the Apple corporate culture alive after he's gone that would be fantastic.

D

[wdlove]

Originally posted by Mr. Anderson
Which makes for interesting speculation as to what happens when Jobs retires..... :(

I'd like to see Apple get more exposure as long as it didn't impinge on its ability to create/innovate new things.

If Jobs can some how find someone to keep the Apple corporate culture alive after he's gone that would be fantastic.

D

Cheer up Mr. Anderson, Steve Jobs still has another 10 - 20 years of time left to run Apple! ;)

I think that it is important for Apple to maintain it's separate idenity. Have the ability to be independent so that it can continue to innovate. I like the idea of Sony's ability to allow Apple a greater network for marketing. The home networking is the future. I would like to see Apple to be the hub, with it software to the network for the home movie, protection, sound, & TV system!

[nuckinfutz]

Sony and Apple would make a horrible fit.

Ask yourself this. What has Sony done recently that was a bonified smash beyond the Playstation?

It's not :

Minidisc- hanging on to it's last bit of life
MicroMV- do U even know what this is?
Digital8- redundant format
ATRAC- could have been MP3 Sony couldn't see it
SACD- will probably never reach the penetration of CD
Memory Stick- Sonys lame attemtp at Memory storage. Yet another format which they've only been able to store Pictures and Audio on. Real innovative
:rolleyes:

Sony's problem is one of cohesion. They have publishing and Electronics divisions that butt heads. Sony cant come out with an iPod without gutting it's user interface because Columbia will complain about possible piracy.

Sony sucks in Software and just because that's Apples forte doesn't mean a marriage between the two wouldn't have Apples software efforts diminished.

I want Apple to have a little "Maverick" in them and merging with Sony would kill that. The corporate cultures would clash. As you can see from the article Jobs is thought to be arrogant.

Sony's losing money hand over fist because they no longer have an advantage in so many areas that they had clear advantages years ago. Like Trinitron Technology and Optical Disc smarts. In short the rest of the industry has caught up and leveled the playing field.

[Capt Underpants]

Originally posted by artificiallife
Hah! Then why are people waiting months for their G5s?

Production is why Apple has people waiting months, not distribution.

[themadchemist]

Originally posted by artificiallife
Hah! Then why are people waiting months for their G5s?

First, this isn't a question of distribution. It is a question of manufacturing.

But it isn't even a question of Apple manufacturing...

We have heard no news that Apple can't produce the motherboards (do they even manufacture them, or is this outsourced, like the cases, etc.?)...

Jeez people, how many times do we have to go over this?

IBM is not pumping out the processors as fast as we would like! I know it hurts, but it is true.