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Reuters reports that shares of German television set maker Loewe jumped 43% today as rumors of a possible acquisition by Apple resurfaced. A trader was quoted as saying that Apple is looking to bid 4 euros per share for Loewe, but a company spokesman claimed that Loewe was not aware of any such offer.

Rumors of an Apple acquisition of Loewe first emerged in May of last year, dying when Loewe said there was "absolutely nothing to it". It is not known what has led to the renewed speculation today.

loewereference52-6l-800x551.jpg
While Loewe's luxury TV designs are very much in line with what might be expected from the long-anticipated Apple television set, given that design is one of Apple's core strengths it is not immediately clear what unique contributions Loewe might bring to the table. The German manufacturer is 28% owned by Sharp, 13% by the company's management, 11% by storage company Lacie, and the rest freely traded.

As of the time of writing, Loewe shares were up 33% to 3.63 euros ($4.89), valuing the company at 53 million euros.

Article Link: Shares of Television Set Maker Loewe Jump as Apple Acquisition Rumors Resurface
 

Terry W

macrumors member
Apr 20, 2007
51
0
NYC
Shares of Television Set Maker Loewe Jump as Apple Acquisition Rumors Resurface

Maybe Apple is just buying Sharp's share to help them raise cash, and as a new owner collaborating with Loewe's design team and/or getting access to design concepts/patents.
 

caligomez

macrumors regular
Feb 8, 2011
246
88
San Juan, PR
Help me understand.. Why would they buy this company? if:

1) Apple has (arguably) the world's best technology design team in house

2) All the technological expertise and R&D to create the appropriate display to fit their product needs (does Loewe have some sort of coveted patent that they want?)

3) They will probably manufacture their TV set in China, taking full advantage of their incredibly efficient supply chain, and wouldn't necessarily need Loewes for that.

Why do they need this company?
 

slrandall

macrumors 6502
Jun 15, 2011
412
0
Help me understand.. Why would they buy this company? if:

1) Apple has (arguably) the world's best technology design team in house

2) All the technological expertise and R&D to create the appropriate display to fit their product needs (does Loewe have some sort of coveted patent that they want?)

3) They will probably manufacture their TV set in China, taking full advantage of their incredibly efficient supply chain, and wouldn't necessarily need Loewes for that.

Why do they need this company?

Patents, maybe?
 

nep61

macrumors 6502
May 17, 2007
318
2
I'm in the market for a LARGE Flat screen TV... I Hope I can wait long enought to see Apple release something soon.... This is exciting to say the least.
 

AndiS.

macrumors regular
Dec 16, 2012
181
0
Help me understand.. Why would they buy this company? if:

1) Apple has (arguably) the world's best technology design team in house

2) All the technological expertise and R&D to create the appropriate display to fit their product needs (does Loewe have some sort of coveted patent that they want?)

3) They will probably manufacture their TV set in China, taking full advantage of their incredibly efficient supply chain, and wouldn't necessarily need Loewes for that.

Why do they need this company?

Loewe have exorbitant product quality, I don't know how they do it exactly, but the picture quality is insane. As are the prices, which in this case I assume, are not only paid for the name.
 

kryca

macrumors member
Jul 6, 2010
71
0
Isn't Loewe very high end?

yes and no. It has a modular design, so you can upgrade as new technologies become available. It also comes with a design that some people consider "high end". (I prefer the extremely zen-buddhistic Bravia design.) Apart from that, it can be seen as an overpriced Sharp TV.
Menu navigation is also nothing revolutionary and more or less the same pain as with most brands.
 

Macman45

macrumors G5
Jul 29, 2011
13,197
135
Somewhere Back In The Long Ago
[url=http://cdn.macrumors.com/im/macrumorsthreadlogodarkd.png]Image[/url]


Reuters reports that shares of German television set maker Loewe jumped 43% today as rumors of a possible acquisition by Apple resurfaced. A trader was quoted as saying that Apple is looking to bid 4 euros per share for Loewe, but a company spokesman claimed that Loewe was not aware of any such offer.

Rumors of an Apple acquisition of Loewe first emerged in May of last year, dying when Loewe said there was "absolutely nothing to it". It is not known what has led to the renewed speculation today.

While Loewe's luxury TV designs are very much in line with what might be expected from the long-anticipated Apple television set, given that design is one of Apple's core strengths it is not immediately clear what unique contributions Loewe might bring to the table. The German manufacturer is 28% owned by Sharp, 13% by the company's management, 11% by storage company Lacie, and the rest freely traded.

As of the time of writing, Loewe shares were up 33% to 3.63 euros ($4.89), valuing the company at 53 million euros.

Article Link: Shares of Television Set Maker Loewe Jump as Apple Acquisition Rumors Resurface

I think it's more than a rumour now, Apple are "Ironing out" the content provider issues that they had according to this months copy of a popular Mac based magazine. A TV set with built in ATV, and the look of iMac? Yes it's probably going to look great, but it's also going to cost big time. I'm not about to replace my fairly new Sony Bravia 3D with something that cost's $$$$$ and doesn't have a whole bunch of extra features, like built in wifi etc. As nice as it would be to have my TV match all my Apple stuff, they are going to have to make it one hell of a piece of kit for me to jump.
 

kryca

macrumors member
Jul 6, 2010
71
0
Loewe have exorbitant product quality, I don't know how they do it exactly, but the picture quality is insane. As are the prices, which in this case I assume, are not only paid for the name.

It can be compared to a regular Sharp TV. Because it is a Sharp panel. Plus some software tweaks that may make it look "a tad bit better" but not "insanely" better. Maybe "insanely" in Apple lingo where everything is soooo next century and awesome, but not in the real world. ;)
 

carlgo

macrumors 68000
Dec 29, 2006
1,806
17
Monterey CA
Are these tvs currently made in Germany? A German-made TV would set Apple apart.

As for style, the new sets we see are about as good as can be, all screen, hardly a frame and so very thin (Apple will make them the thinnest of course...). A new 55" is no bigger in total than my older 42" which has a chin and a big frame.

Despite the dramatic photo, the Loewe is not better looking than other new TVs and is it better in terms of performance? I have seen them in high-end stereo stores, big bucks but what are the extra benefits?

I still think Apple has to bring more to the table than Apps...it needs the best screen and that means some new technology. Otherwise, why would people buy them over other brands?
 

Nunyabinez

macrumors 68000
Apr 27, 2010
1,758
2,230
Provo, UT
I think it's more than a rumour now, Apple are "Ironing out" the content provider issues that they had according to this months copy of a popular Mac based magazine. A TV set with built in ATV, and the look of iMac? Yes it's probably going to look great, but it's also going to cost big time. I'm not about to replace my fairly new Sony Bravia 3D with something that cost's $$$$$ and doesn't have a whole bunch of extra features, like built in wifi etc. As nice as it would be to have my TV match all my Apple stuff, they are going to have to make it one hell of a piece of kit for me to jump.

I'm still hoping for a modular concept where there is an Apple Display and a "plug in" AppleTV. That way they can update the ATV from time to time and I would just snap in the new ATV without having to get rid of an expensive display. If it is an all-in-one design, I won't be excited, because the only time I get new TVs is when the old ones totally fail.
 

Tankmaze

macrumors 68000
Mar 7, 2012
1,707
351
A thousand nations of the Apple fanboy empire descend upon you. Our clicks will blot out their server.

Can't seem to open loewe.tv or loewe.de :D
 

VoR

macrumors 6502a
Sep 8, 2008
917
15
UK
It can be compared to a regular Sharp TV. Because it is a Sharp panel. Plus some software tweaks that may make it look "a tad bit better" but not "insanely" better. Maybe "insanely" in Apple lingo where everything is soooo next century and awesome, but not in the real world. ;)

Eye of the beholder! Most software tweaks and features I've seen on TVs have a detrimental effect on quality, same sort of thing as bass boost and equalisers on Hi-Fi equipment. Some people love that sort of stuff, some people want the output to be as close to the input as possible.
 
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