Did Apple Spend $2 Billion to Bail Out Sharp?

[JAT]

Originally Posted by bedifferent

The same could be stated for Apple computers, and (until recently) was the justification

Sometimes, you pay a higher price for better quality.

Yes, in the market. I meant just at Sharp. Elite sales won't turn around their $5b loss this FY. Weirdly enough, I was just involved in a brief thread about this at an HT forum.

[Ryth]

Don't forget...Sharp makes TV panels also.

[marc11]

Just playing the other side here but why didn't the reporter of this story go the extra step to check Sharps annual or quarterly reports for a loan or cash in flow not related to sales for the same amount? If Apple invested or loaned Sharp cash it has to show.

And no wonder so many people are broke in this world. Stop with the Apple should just buy x company. That is not how things work. Just because you have cash in the bank does not mean you need to spend every penny on any company you complete with or do business with.

[watchthisspace]

I have enjoyed all the Sharp products I've owned. Hopefully Apple picks them up if they go up for sale and turns them around.

[ladeer]

Originally Posted by rnizlek

Interesting, but I wonder why Apple wouldn't just buy the production factory outright and have Sharp operate it. That way, if anything happened to them, the plant would not be at risk of shutting down.

because a factory doesn't know how to design, innovate, qa, the next generation screen. because a factory can only make what its tools are designed to make which is the screen for phones today, not tomorrow. for sharp to continue designing and making better screen for apple, so apple doesn't have to rely on samsung's technology roadmap for its business, apple needs more than one display maker.

[HishamAkhtar]

Honestly, Apple is hurting for it's childish behaviour with Samsung. Samsung has been the best and most reliable supplier and stopping relations with them was the dumbest idea ever.

[iphoneclassic]

Originally Posted by fertilized-egg

Other than the processor, what component is Apple "cornered" to a "one major vendor", let alone "every component"?

Even with all the love fest SHARP is a basket case. No one knows when it is going to fold. Apple's primary source is LG for LCDs.

For NAND Flash Memory now primary is Hynix.

For Processor TSMC is the only source. Got rid of Samsung. Amazon is planning to buy TI.

[fertilized-egg]

Originally Posted by iphoneclassic

Even with all the love fest SHARP is a basket case. No one knows when it is going to fold. Apple's primary source is LG for LCDs.

LG has been primary source for LCDs for years now, even before Apple got into spats with Samsung. Also Apple now has Sharp, Japan Display, AUO, and CMI all supplying various displays.

Originally Posted by iphoneclassic

For NAND Flash Memory now primary is Hynix.

Both Hynix and Elpida have been supplying RAM for years now. Ditto for Hynix and Toshiba for NAND Memory.

Originally Posted by iphoneclassic

For Processor TSMC is the only source. Got rid of Samsung. Amazon is planning to buy TI.

TI has nothing to do with Apple here. TI's OMAP division relies on others to make chips for them. It's more of the nature of the business though. You effectively have to make two versions of the chips if you're getting two fabs involved.

Basically I don't see anywhere Apple has "cornered" itself to a single primary source because of the fight with Samsung. In almost all areas they have been multi-sourcing for years.

[dojoman]

Originally Posted by gibbo132

Nice to see Apple playing nicely for once rather than suing!

But it's ok to sue Samsung. They did steal everything from Apple.

[xVeinx]

Apple needs Sharp even after having capacity at Samsung. This isn't an either or. Samsung will over time be phased out though as the battle between them rages on. The iPhone was remarkable both for it's innovation as well as it's look and feel. Even after multiple lawsuits, etc., Apple isn't ultimately going to be able to protect the look and feel of of the iPhone and maintain the "divide." There are too many subjective components. On the other hand, innovation compared to every other phone maker at all times is also going to be impossible, especially when other OEMs copy the look and feel as much as they can get away with and throw lots of meaningless "features" on a phone. We are seeing this with the tablet market even now. Apple is taking the two-pronged approach by trying to do both. We all want the latter option, but the effort, talent, creativity, etc. required is amazing, and I don't foresee Apple dropping the lawsuits any time soon. It is, to them, a necessary evil.

EDIT: There is plenty of innovation and addition of useful features to phones from other OEMs as well, to be sure. Unfortunately, a tendency to bolster feature lists by adding extra "stuff" is also common. The point stands however that Apple has to battle the quickly expanding feature space.

[tech4all]

Originally Posted by turtlez

Suing for good reason is hardly being mean. How would you like it if someone came along and stole your designs that you work on all year round.

No but it does get old. Let's face it, Apple isn't a tech company anymore, they're a legal firm.

[renai-spirit]

Originally Posted by tech4all

No but it does get old. Let's face it, Apple isn't a tech company anymore, they're a legal firm.

So true! I can't remember the last time they released a tech product!

[Pianoblack3]

Originally Posted by ThatsMeRight

No worries, that's an 'Apple price' (a price a company like Apple would ask for a product).

Meh, Apple are far too consumer like now. The last time they asked something a silly amount for, was the TAM. Ever since the iPod, they had it!

[theineffablebob]

Apple is so desperate to get away from Samsung. It's crazy.

[MacDav]

Originally Posted by TMay

You are "loosing" your ability to read. Apple is prepaying for product that Samsung doesn't produce, IGZO displays.

Lilo777 is so eager to bash Apple that he doesn't have time to read. It's bash first and read later.

[Sitti]

For those who doesn't know and bashing Apple for this, Apple isn't the only one who is looking into investing in Sharp. Google and Microsoft also have started negotiating since they too are making tablets and phones. From Japan, I can't remember which companies but there are a few also planning on investing. In the worst case scenario, very likely that Japanese government will provide help even though they stated they don't have any plan to do so at this point. Apparently they don't want Sharp to rely on them, (which Sharp is trying to get easy way out as well) and piss off Japanese people for spending their tax money on private company. There are 12,000 small companies relying on business from Sharp. If Sharp goes down, they all will be in trouble. This is one of those "too big too fail" things.

Sharp isn't going anywhere.

[Sony311]

That's ok, cause Apple is getting sued for $368 million for stealing someones idea....karma

Originally Posted by turtlez

Suing for good reason is hardly being mean. How would you like it if someone came along and stole your designs that you work on all year round.

[iZac]

Originally Posted by lilo777

They will. Apple winning $1 billion by suing Samsung and loosing $2 billion because it had to prop Sharp to get the components they could easily get from Samsung. That makes perfect economic sense (and APPL trend proves it).

Very true, one step forwards two back. But at least it give's Apple far more muscle in the future supply of components. It can much more effectively dictate quality control, features of new components, prioritise it's own supply over other companies etc.

I know Sharp needed bailing out, but it's kind of similar to when Apple tied up a huge chunk of Samsungs Flash supply years ago with a few billion upfront payment?

[PaulChowHK]

Originally Posted by lilo777

They will. Apple winning $1 billion by suing Samsung and loosing $2 billion because it had to prop Sharp to get the components they could easily get from Samsung. That makes perfect economic sense (and APPL trend proves it).

They never collecting 2 billion from Samsung. In this world over time Apple bad days coming. We still not seeing the best, soon new inventions coming to market and everything changing.

[renai-spirit]

Originally Posted by PaulChowHK

They never collecting 2 billion from Samsung. In this world over time Apple bad days coming. We still not seeing the best, soon new inventions coming to market and everything changing.

KISS. "Apple Is Doomed".

[haruhiko]

Originally Posted by HishamAkhtar

Honestly, Apple is hurting for it's childish behaviour with Samsung. Samsung has been the best and most reliable supplier and stopping relations with them was the dumbest idea ever.

Relying on your biggest enemy for crucial parts is never a sustainable strategy. What if Samsung raises price for Apple significantly in the next few years? If Apple doesn't have any alternative, they just have to suck it. They have to find alternatives. And they can still use Samsung before finding a viable alternative.

[wizard]

The people that aren't being nice are the thieves stealing Apples efforts. I'm not sure how your interpretation got so screwed up here but look at it this way:

Say somebody breaks into your house and steals all of your gadgets and gets caught. If you pursue legal action against them you are being nice following the socially accepted way to resolve the issue. If you wack them over the head and dispose of their bodies in a swamp you aren't being so nice. Either path can be effective in dealing with a thief but one can get you into more trouble.

Here Apple is taking one socially acceptable and viable path to deal with thieves. So explain your problems with it. Especially when Apple warned the entire world that they had patented the developments in iPhone aand would take legal action if people stole the technology.

Originally Posted by gibbo132

Nice to see Apple playing nicely for once rather than suing!

You really need to grow up. Suing s very nice compared to the alternatives.

[wizard]

Samsung stole their designs. This isn't even debatable; they ask nicely for Samsung to remove the stolen IP from their products and Samsung refused. The only rational course of action was to take Samsung to court to stop the use of stolen IP.

Originally Posted by thejadedmonkey

They're not really though. Had they played nice, they wouldn't be forced to rely on Sharp and could use Samsung's production facilities. Instead, they didn't play nice and this 2 billion bailout is a consequence.

Playing nice is shoring up competitors when your supplier steals your designs right from under you. It hurts Samsung in multiple ways and frankly hurting Samsung should be a top priority of anybody that has any respect for the concept of right and wrong.

----------

Originally Posted by lilo777

They will. Apple winning $1 billion by suing Samsung and loosing $2 billion because it had to prop Sharp to get the components they could easily get from Samsung. That makes perfect economic sense (and APPL trend proves it).

It makes all the sense in the world if Sharps technology is as good as some thinks it is. By propping up Sharp the potential to get Sharps new screens in a reasonable time frame remains a possibility. Sharp going on the auction block would put the technology release back at least a year probably more.

As to Apples stock, did you not watch the election? We just put an idiot back in office for another four years and everybody on Wall Street knows it and saw it coming. There is a very real possibility of the good ole USA going the way of several other European countries were they can't pay their bills. The only difference is our creditor is China. Don't be surprised if China confiscates a few American factories in China to cover bad debt in a couple of years. Or they could just force us to pay back the loans by raising taxes excessively.

[wizard]

Originally Posted by jrswizzle

Don't get me started......

I notice your location - not that it ended up mattering, but come on!

His statements make perfect sense if you follow all the wasted public money that went to support various industries and then evaporated. It has been absolutely shameful the way Washington has been lining pockets under the guise of energy programs or whatever. Just the way in which the business fold up shop soon after receiving all of this free money ought to turn on red lights in everyone's minds. Battery maker A123 was the latest in a long line of this highly questionable distribution of money.

[pearvsapple]

Originally Posted by macchiato2009

Apple should buy Sharp... and expand the company

$4000 TVs minimum.