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I'm thinking/hoping they either purchase or create a 4g service. Think about how well it could work out for them. Free uncapped Internet everywhere for your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad anywhere ou go - increases the purchases you make via iTunes and the app store. Then they could roll it out to the MacBook air product line so you can use Internet for free anywhere you go, thus increasing the iTunes and app store purchases made once again. This would ALSO get more people to buy apple products. Also, by not offering call features they wouldn't be shutting out AT&T or Verizon. This would all stay within the realm of what apple believes, more great features to the customer for their great products all while increasing sales for the services that really make them money - iTunes and the app store! :)

- Joe
There is a reason why Internet services are capped, because there will always be a section users who tax the network heavily and end up slowing or jamming the service for everyone else.

Can you imagine what would happen if everyone had free, unbridled access to Internet services. Either the cost of maintaining it would be factored into existing product prices, or the network would be so slow from too many people using it at any one time.

Bottom line, I do not believe it to be viable or desirable.
 
If Apple bought some ailing company like Nintendo or Sirius/Xm or TiVo, their share price would plummet. These companies don't offer up any really game changing technology or ideas.

You're kidding right? Nintendo posts its first Annual Operating loss since 1889 and the company is "ailing"? Apple would kill for that kind of longevity. There's more Wii Consoles in households around the world than PS3 or Xbox 360, and at greater profit margins (despite significantly lower Retail Price). Not to mention the 175million DS/3DS handheld consoles sold to-date.

These companies don't offer up any really game changing technology or ideas.

Nintendo? The same company that is responsible for the popularisation of the touch-screen long before Apple cannibalised it into the iPhone? Creator of popular Motion-Controlled gaming? (with the Wii). Creator and perfecter of 3D gaming on a 2D plain (Thanks Mario) and the input device (Joypad) used to interact with those worlds? Father of the handheld device as a means of entertainment? Balance Boards? Rumble Paks? Analogue Sticks? Owner of one of the most well respected and successful R&D Departments in existence at a technology company?

Not to mention the extensive patents catalogue they own, strength of brand in a region that Apple historically don't do all that well in, and similar (and historically proven - Read a book entitled "Game Over - How Nintendo Conquered The World" by David Sheff) attitude of "thinking different(ly)". Oh...and it's current market-value estimation of $85billion (which frankly, is ridiculously low).

The more I think about it...the more it makes sense. It won't happen, but I can imagine a dreamworld where Console Housings etc. are designed by a certain Mr. Ive in conjunction with Nintendo R&D, and fabrication takes advantage of bulk buying of screens etc.

It'll probably be something boring like a Dividend Payout, infrastructure investment & boost to R&D investment, plus maybe the intention to acquire a few small startup-esque companies we've likely never heard of...
 
It's a conference call with Tim Cook and the CFO. That's not how you would announce a major acquisition. My money is on a dividend. And then 50% will say it's thr right thing to do and 50% will say it would never have happened under Steve and the company is DOOMED now that he's gone.
 
The conference call commences before the markets oppen. This suggests the acquisition of a company as if it were to be announced after trading begins then trading would have to be halted for all companies involved in the acquisition.
 
It's a conference call with Tim Cook and the CFO. That's not how you would announce a major acquisition. My money is on a dividend. And then 50% will say it's thr right thing to do and 50% will say it would never have happened under Steve and the company is DOOMED now that he's gone.

Dividend is the right thing. Or keeping the money where it is. There is no room in the world for a 100B, 50B or 30B investment in factories. Leaving parts building to the 3rd party manufacturers is what makes Apple a fast-response company. You can just get rid of LCD displays if they're not an option anymore.
 
It's a conference call with Tim Cook and the CFO. That's not how you would announce a major acquisition. My money is on a dividend. And then 50% will say it's thr right thing to do and 50% will say it would never have happened under Steve and the company is DOOMED now that he's gone.

Well, pretty sure it would never happen under Steve. Apple has the opportunity to do something bold with their cash reserve, but I smell dividend.
 
Why do people want Apple to bring manufacturing back over here? I don't know about you, but I don't want to work a repetitive, low paying factory job. The thing I don't understand is why they can't make a completely robotic assembly line for their products.

LOL. Don't worry. If anything transpires, you won't make it past the 1st interview. :apple:

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They should buy Disney.

That would be "Magical". :apple:
 
I'd love Apple to buy ARM Holdings. It would add so much to Apple's R&D capability, plus they'd get a bite out of just about every phone/tablet made.
 
I honestly don't get why they'd issue dividends now...isn't there enough value being generated from stock growth anyway? I hope they do something more creative with the cash

Shareholders have been handsomely rewarded for holding AAPL. Apple should return money to its customers in the form of discounts or rebates. Apple's customers have helped build the cash hoard, not shareholders.
 
Isn't it just going to be a declaration of open warfare on Android?

They're going to buy Samsung with cash and shares.

Boring as it may be, there is no single company of that size that Apple need the cash for. They need cash to buy future supply rights and small innovating companies. 100 bill is just too much for that, so hand it back to shareholders in the form of a dividend.

So wish I'd bought those 2000 shares back in 2002. O well.
 
Shareholders have been handsomely rewarded for holding AAPL. Apple should return money to its customers in the form of discounts or rebates. Apple's customers have helped build the cash hoard, not shareholders.

I agree with the first part, but completely disagree with the second. Just because Apple has a ton of money doesn't change the value of the products that I purchased. Apple should return the money to the customers by using it to create even better products ... not giving out $50 coupons to everyone.
 
They currently store their undistributed cash in short term securities. I would like to see them keep accumulating assets, but store them in areas which are favorable during times of massive money printing, such as gold, to offset the fuel and commodity price increases associated with currency depreciation. As an industrial manufacturer they have a constant need for future commodities, so arbitrage makes good financial sense.

Rocketman
 
Scott Forstall has never been to Disney World, so first, Apple will send him there. Scott has been quoted as being very excited about Space Mountain.

Bob Mansfield will be installing a deck on the back of his house. He may also install a rain gauge.

Jony Ive intends on taking his kids out for breakfast every other Sunday for the rest of the year.

Peter Oppenheimer has been heard that he needs to "live a little" and will be stepping away from model railroading and plans on using some of the money to take up fly fishing.

Tim Cook plans on buying a new iPad.

:D This seems the most logical thing
 
Isn't it just going to be a declaration of open warfare on Android?

They're going to buy Samsung with cash and shares.

Boring as it may be, there is no single company of that size that Apple need the cash for. They need cash to buy future supply rights and small innovating companies. 100 bill is just too much for that, so hand it back to shareholders in the form of a dividend.

So wish I'd bought those 2000 shares back in 2002. O well.

Samsungs Total Equity is over 200 billion and growing. Apple cannot never buy Samsung. Apples total equity is 100 billion. Do some research.

Their head quarters is scy scraper in the most expensive City in the world. Apples headquarters are in middle of some desert...
 
Samsungs Total Equity is over 200 billion and growing. Apple cannot never buy Samsung. Apples total equity is 100 billion. Do some research.

Actually Apple will be able to buy Samsung in a few years if they want to. Samsung's total equity growth is much slower than Apple's cash growth. But I doubt that'll happen even if they are able to. Doesn't make any sense.
 
Building an iCar factory is the necessary consequence of this.

All electric. Unibody Aluminum Frame. Integrated Siri system.

2013 Release: One color, black.
2013.5 iCar S Release: White or Black
2014 Release: :apple: Chromatic

Duh.

TheHomer.jpg
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; CPU iPhone OS 5_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9B176 Safari/7534.48.3)

Why does the announcement come with so little warning?
 
I want Apple to always have at least 50 billion on hand. So they have that buffer if something goes wrong they have the billions to cover it, learn from their mistakes and move on, improving all the way. Apple will screw up major. All companies do. It's a matter of when not if.

Apple screwed up in the 90's and their saviour was Jobs. If they screw up again they have the billions to save them. Which is good. Many other companies need to beg for a government bailout of just collapse if they screw up.
 
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