Apple Looking to Acquire Twitter?

[mrgreen4242]

Well, just sort of brainstorming here, but I could see some sort of hook into an platform of mobile phones for Twitter. Building it into an OS level API so all apps could access it and receive push notifications through the service could have some potential for integrating app usage and social networking. Auto tweet for high scores in games, status updates for what you're listening too or watching, location awareness, etc. And in reverse, apps seeing a tweet in your friends streams for high scores to notify you of them, or let you know someone else has the song song(s) on their top played list at the same time, or whatever.

I could see something cool in Apple using a Twitter-like social networking service, especially if they actually release a lower priced iPhone nano on a few networks. Don't see why they'd need to buy Twitter to do it, other than "eliminating the competition".

 

[notjustjay]

EA makes no sense at all. Think about it. Think.

Eh?

EA makes sense. Apple would position themselves better in the gaming market if they could work directly with the software guys making some of the more popular games out there. Either to make the games work best with the hardware Apple's selling, or make better design decisions about the hardware to better serve the software.

I still think a takeover rumor is far-fetched, but at least it has some merit to it. But Apple buying Twitter? What on earth for? That's like saying McDonald's and Reebok are going to merge.

 

[rdowns]

That's like saying McDonald's and Reebok are going to merge.

There is certainly synergy there. I needs my Reeboks ro run to the bathroom after eating that crap.

I see no good business reason for Apple to acquire Twitter unless Jobs really is not coming back. He will just Tweet all his orders to the troops.

 

[psingh01]

It's more likely Apple buys Microsoft than Twitter Not gonna happen!

 

[wizard]

Not as far fetched as one might think.

Really I think this could be significant for Apple at a more reasonable price. Say one tenth the mentioned price.

The idea is that twitter would be integrated right into Mobile Me. No one has considered just how well this might work out. It would be a draw for Mobile Me and solve the no income issue for twitter.

 

[Shunnabunich]

Like I said on AI, if they do this, they may as well buy up TinyURL, Meebo and maybe 4chan for good measure.

That said...

Eh? Eh?

...Yeah, it sounds vaguely disturbing to me too.

 

[youngcapitalist]

The Twitter acquisition might actually make some synergistic sense. If Apple is actually going to make video a key component of the next iPhone and framing the iPhone as a more social platform they could prob very easily incorporate video capability on the go into Twitter. You could essentially make Twitter into a much more social, usable youtube.

 

[avionicsman]

Love It!!

Like I said on AI, if they do this, they may as well buy up TinyURL, Meebo and maybe 4chan for good measure.

That said...

Eh? Eh?

...Yeah, it sounds vaguely disturbing to me too.

I can't see this happening with twitter although I love the twipple phrase Shunna. I will post on twitter. EA makes great sense, my friend works in the mobile dept of EA and they are working on many apps for the iphone and BB.

 

[ajbrehm]

This seems even less likely than Apple acquiring EA. What is Apple going to do with Twitter? How are they going to make any money from it? Moreover, with its very public stream and APIs, how is it going to help sell Macs or iPhones?

My sentiments exactly.

I keep reading about established companies buying new Web things for large amounts of money. Every time I wonder what the point of it is.

Apple buying EA I can understand. It would allow Apple to target Mac and iPhone with more games and dictate terms to Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony.

But Twitter? Is this for coolness only?

 

[3282868]

Internet Real Estate

I wish I had owned Google, Me.com, Yahoo, Twiter, etc. years ago. What did Apple pay to own Me.com? 500 mill? Insanity. What's the next craze going to be?

 

[kimble3]

I think you're on to something here. Let's face it, there is no way that Apple is going to buy Twitter. It's just not going to happen.

On the other hand, WWDC is coming up and the main focus of the conference is going to be the iPhone 3.0 OS with push notifications. Now it makes perfect sense that Apple is working closely with companies that can show off the capabilities of push notifications so that they have something cool to demo at WWDC. I'm sure that this is as far as Apples interest in Twitter goes.

Well, just sort of brainstorming here, but I could see some sort of hook into an platform of mobile phones for Twitter. Building it into an OS level API so all apps could access it and receive push notifications through the service could have some potential for integrating app usage and social networking. Auto tweet for high scores in games, status updates for what you're listening too or watching, location awareness, etc. And in reverse, apps seeing a tweet in your friends streams for high scores to notify you of them, or let you know someone else has the song song(s) on their top played list at the same time, or whatever.

I could see something cool in Apple using a Twitter-like social networking service, especially if they actually release a lower priced iPhone nano on a few networks. Don't see why they'd need to buy Twitter to do it, other than "eliminating the competition".

 

[yellow]

Twitter continues to run on venture capital funding and has yet to find a revenue stream.

This is the crux of it.

Why would a profitable company (Apple) spend money to acquire a company that has no revenue stream, no possibility of revenue stream, and apparently looses 70% of it's newly signed up members within a month?

Sounds more like a Microsoftian move to me.

 

[pmjoe]

The only reason to buy Twitter would be name/brand/fad recognition and a user base. There is no useful technology behind the curtain.

 

[alphaod]

Considering these are the same people who sold Blogger to Google, they know if they can wait it out long enough, they can sell it for even more.

 

[kironin]

How stupid can rumors get ? very stupid I guess

Apple paying $700 million for a company not relevant to their businesses that not only makes no money, but has NO revenue stream at all and no conceivable way to make a revenue stream without probably killing the business? Twitter is fun but the VC backing it have got to be deluded idiots. When they wake up from the delusion, Twitter will change drastically or just cease to exist.

and The Street is just absolute garbage, a short seller disinformation engine that is a total waste of electrons.

 

[bonzai90210]

Let's hope not

I can't believe this is true. Twitter is a flash in the pan and has no value to Apple. It's even less valuable than a message board. The number of "SEO and social media experts," network marketing gurus, and general trolls that flood twitter with irrelevant nonsense will doom it to the ash heap of cute, irrelevant technologies.

 

[yellow]

Why pay, when they can just steal the idea?

<cough><widgets><konfabulator><cough>

 

[thejadedmonkey]

...why? Chip fab companies and the like, I can see.

Twitter?!

 

[KingYaba]

What a waste of money. Buy Wikipedia instead.

 

[mrgreen4242]

I think you're on to something here. Let's face it, there is no way that Apple is going to buy Twitter. It's just not going to happen.

On the other hand, WWDC is coming up and the main focus of the conference is going to be the iPhone 3.0 OS with push notifications. Now it makes perfect sense that Apple is working closely with companies that can show off the capabilities of push notifications so that they have something cool to demo at WWDC. I'm sure that this is as far as Apples interest in Twitter goes.

Ya, the more I think about it the more interesting it actually becomes. The iPhone is the first dip in the water for Apple and I'll bet you that we will (eventually) see other phones from Apple (the elusive iPhone nano or lite or whatever) and WAN enabled devices in the coming years.

Look what Amazon is doing with the Kindle (free 3G service to access the Amazon store and other selected sites). What if Apple puts a 3G chip in all iPods (except the shuffle, I suppose) in the next year or two and lets you buy from the iTMS (with a little upcharge to cover the data services payment to the wireless provider - variable pricing anyone)?

But SMS is, in reality free to the carrier - it's carried on the same bandwidth as the communications that keep the phone on the network. So part of the deal could be free SMS based "tweets" that turn your iPod (not just iPhone) into a little social networking portal... I dunno, there's some sense to the idea of a partnership with Twitter at least.

 

[Saladinos]

Would be good for both parties. Apple needs experience in web services, and Twitter is such a massive service it would put Apple second only to Google in terms of web service expertise.

 

[Eminemdrdre00]

Good then maybe they can integrate a character count into their SMS app!

 

[rwilliams]

What exactly would Apple do with Twitter? Does it have any real world value other than a cute little app for bored people?

 

[Makosuke]

EA means more iPhone games which means more demand for iPhones. EA makes all kind of sense. Twitter? Not sure how Apple could leverage it to its advantage.

No, a game company makes sense. EA is a MASSIVE game company that not only would cost several billion dollars, but comes with the burden of already making products for basically every platform in existence, many of which are of the "churned out" variety (eg Madden '[Date] and movie tie-ins).

For buying EA to be worth it Apple would need to have some hope of return on investment. This means either continuing development for EVERYTHING, but putting a few titles iPhone/Mac only, or completely killing their Xbox, PS3, Windows, DS, and PSP products and somehow expecting that the draw to the iPhone will be big enough to make that a wise move.

Hell, even MICROSOFT didn't buy EA when looking to boost their XBox exclusives; they grabbed Bungie and Rare, smaller, drastically cheaper companies with a manageable product portfolio that could easily be made platform-exclusive.

Point being that Apple buying a game company isn't at all unrealistic--I'd almost expect it at some point. But buying a HUGE game company with a vast array of titles would be questionable to put it mildly.

 

[ki2594]

just a thought!

Maybe they could take Twitter and turn it into a BBM (Blackberry Messenger) type service for the iPhone/iPod touch, and instead of a pin, u just type in there twitter name?