Apple Has Reportedly Expressed 'Serious Interest' in Purchasing TikTok [Denied]

[MacRumors]

Apple has expressed interest in purchasing video-sharing social media platform TikTok, according to a newsletter snippet from Axios' Dan Primack:

Multiple sources tell me that Apple has expressed interest, albeit no sources inside of Apple, and that at least one other strategic has expressed interest. Yes, it would be an unusual deal for Apple, given that TikTok is a cross-platform app, and a bigger political headache than Tim Cook may want (both here and in China). But if anyone has the cash on hand...

In a follow-up tweet, Primack described Apple's interest as "serious."

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said that he would shut down TikTok in the United States unless it finds an American buyer by September 15. Trump has also indicated that the U.S. Treasury should receive a "substantial amount of money" from the proposed sale, although there is some confusion as to what he exactly means by those comments.

Earlier this week, Microsoft announced that it is "prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States."

Update - 7:57 a.m.: Axios has updated its report to note that "an Apple spokesperson tells Axios that there are no discussions about buying TikTok and the company isn't interested."

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Apple Has Reportedly Expressed 'Serious Interest' in Purchasing TikTok [Denied]

 

[Kylo83]

great, thats all we need

 

[easy4lif]

drive up the price, that all

 

[McKodiak]

I hope not. Tik Tok is a toxic app and social environment.

 

[JosephAW]

Well at least they would push for more privacy than any other. They have a good track record, at least in the US.

 

[vidjahgamz]

Let the bidding war begin.

 

[Quicksilver867]

Then saddle it with a tiered subscription pricing scheme.

 

[kesennnnn]

Cause that will align so well with Apple’s “Privacy-first” policies lol

 

[cardfan]

Apple: please buy our services. Have some tiktok with it.

 

[JosephAW]

Apple would then kill off the android version of the app just as they did with that weather app. Very clever Apple.

 

[miflgr92]

I'm past the age range for TikTok so I couldn't care less what happens to it.

Now if Apple could create a social media network that is 1) focused on user privacy 2) good enough to get people to switch from Facebook/Instagram, I'd be the first to sign up.

 

[TonyC28]

ThIs WoUlD bE aWeSoMe!
I nEeD mOrE iNfLuEnCeR cOnTeNt!

 

[ilikewhey]

this would actually be pretty good purchase, i myself not a fan of tiktok but my fiancee and a number of female friends i have mainly use tiktok and sometimes instagram. tik tok itself, i find they have a very creative team that pushes out new challenges and keep the app content fresh.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

I don't think it's possible for it to be any worse than Ping was.

I'm not sure how Apple intends to make money off of it though if they're not selling data. Maybe Apple wants to somehow advertise Apple TV+, Apple Music, and Apple Arcade through it?

 

[cardfan]

I'm past the age range for TikTok so I couldn't care less what happens to it.

Now if Apple could create a social media network that is 1) focused on user privacy 2) good enough to get people to switch from Facebook/Instagram, I'd be the first to sign up.

honestly I’d ignore any new attempt by Apple to create a social network. It’s doa.

 

[im2fast4u]

IMHO they should not pursue this... Apple does not have social networking in its DNA

 

[Rogifan]

Why would they want the headache?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1290661277644316678

 

[cmaier]

IMHO they should not pursue this... Apple does not have social networking in its DNA

Not too long ago they didn’t have phones in their dna. And watches. And app stores.

 

[apple_unreal]

I hope not. Tik Tok is a toxic app and social environment.

Totally agree... I never saw so many people so eager to behave like mentally challenged... by choice. And another amount with even lower IQ that watch it.

 

[Waragainstsleep]

honestly I’d ignore any new attempt by Apple to create a social network. It’s doa.

Thats why you buy one that's already working.

 

[its93rc]

Sometimes I remember how old people on Macrumors are based on the comments here. Apple buying this app would be a smart decision, and if you don't realize that, it's time to educate yourself:

Tik Tok's influence on culture is unmatched at the moment; I see it beating Instagram in the near future. Also, there is much more on the app than influencer/rose-coloured glasses moments of content, which is what a lot of people appealing about it. (If you don't know, the app curates content based on stuff you interact with. For example, if you like art, it'll show videos/tutorials/etc of art.) Tik Tok, on the right hands, would be fun, educating and revolutionary.

 

[iReality85]

I don't see how it would be an "unusual" deal for Apple. I'd assume any purchaser, whether that's Microsoft or otherwise, would allow Tik Tok to continue to function as a seperate entity, e.g. no merger or dissolution would happen. They'd take ownership of the company, just as ByteDance owns Tik Tok now, but other than that Tik Tok would continue to do its own thing.

Famous last words though, given US tech monopolies.

 

[ipedro]

Suddenly my thread on Apple killing Facebook doesn’t seem so far out.

How Apple can help kill Facebook

Facebook has grown very problematic in recent years, having gone from a benign friends aggregator to a monolith literally capable of destroying democracy as we know it. My intention for this thread isn't to politicize the topic. After all, whether you're conservative or liberal, we all value...

forums.macrumors.com

Facebook has managed to avert death by acquiring their emerging competition. Instagram has become such a crucial part of the company, ahead of Facebook itself. Had Zuckerberg not acquired IG, it would’ve ended the company. They did the same with WhatsApp but will have no such luck with TikTok if Apple or Microsoft gets it first.

 

[luvbug]

This is how a company gets distracted, with too many irons in the fire, and things eventually slide downhill on all fronts. Just sayin'. There is such a thing as simply "too big".

 

[cmaier]

I don't see how it would be an "unusual" deal for Apple. I'd assume any purchaser, whether that's Microsoft or otherwise, would allow Tik Tok to continue to function as a seperate entity, e.g. no merger or dissolution would happen. They'd take ownership of the company, just as ByteDance owns Tik Tok now, but other than that Tik Tok would continue to do its own thing.

Famous last words though, given US tech monopolies.

Apple is pretty hands-on - if they buy it, I would expect more of a beats situation. First thing they’d do is mandate new privacy policies, sanitize the back-end infrastructure, etc. Then they’d start building hooks into iOS, to make iphones the best platform for viewing/posting stuff. They’d integrate it into the Apple TV app on Apple TV’s, etc. They’d continue to support other platforms, but I don’t think they’d be “hands off” at all.