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Big Mac · Nov 10, 2008, 12:17 AM

Okay, so Yahoo is begging to be bought, but M$ no longer wants to touch it. I assume Google doesn't either. But Apple has a lot of cash and doesn't have the same anti-trust concerns M$ and Google have. Apple also could use extra content services, and I personally think Yahoo still has a lot to offer. Why doesn't Apple buy Yahoo?

Chuckit · Nov 10, 2008, 01:28 AM

What does Yahoo have that fits into Apple's gameplan? I can't think of much.

moep · Nov 10, 2008, 01:43 AM

I hope not. Just imagine yahoo search becoming the irreplaceable standard in all Apple devices. *shudder*

Also, leave my flickr alone. Imagine the mobileme team getting their grubby 900-kb-javascript-per-page hands on that. Nooooo…

BasketofPuppies · Nov 10, 2008, 02:50 AM

Because until Google's dominance of syndicated Internet advertising wanes, competing against Google directly is a lost cause. Purchasing Yahoo! means paying billions of dollars for a company in decline with little hope of recovering for at least several years (if ever).

That and the CEO of Google is on Apple's board of directors.

Everyone carries Google ads because everyone is advertising on Google. At this point it wouldn't matter if someone else had advertising placement technology as good or better than Google's because Google dominates the market.

Microsoft has the resources to lose money for years and years as it builds up its Internet services up to par with Google's in an attempt to truly become a viable Google competitor. (Assuming that Microsoft isn't saying "no" to Yahoo! in an attempt to acquire the company at a lower price, which I think would be a disaster.) Few, if any, other companies can attempt this. Almost everyone else is better off working out an advertising deal with Google.

I maintain that News Corp is the only company that should consider buying Yahoo!. If News Corp were to buy Yahoo!, surely it would switch MySpace's advertising from Google to Yahoo!, and the massive popularity of MySpace would force advertisers to advertise with Yahoo!, which would make Yahoo! a viable alternative to Google and get Web sites to consider carrying ads from Yahoo! instead of Google.

Peter · Nov 10, 2008, 05:32 AM

no one should buy Yahoo, Yahoo can and should just fix this in house.

ajprice · Nov 10, 2008, 05:37 AM

Apple are saving up to buy Google

.

PaperNotes · Nov 10, 2008, 05:46 AM

Yahoo should be allowed to go almost bust before anyone buys them. They deserve a kick in the butt for being so badly managed.

Peter · Nov 10, 2008, 05:55 AM

Yang and Decker need to be fired, they're morons.

Yahoo and its brand can be saved, without being bought up.

I always thought they had a grand plan with flickr and delicious - turns out they're just idiots and dont realize what they're sitting on. Amusing.

SSharon · Nov 10, 2008, 07:22 AM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

What does Yahoo have that fits into Apple's gameplan? I can't think of much.

push email that works?

The Godfather · Nov 10, 2008, 07:28 AM

The company wasn't even a unionized company and they couldn't compete. Will they ask for a federal bailout?

Yahoo's management will be fired with golden parachutes, despite the harm they did to the company.

They ought to be working on a cloud-based iLife.

Maflynn · Nov 10, 2008, 07:45 AM

What would apple gain with such a deal. Yahoo has nothing to offer that would add to apple's marketplace strategy.

Microsoft to a run at yahoo earlier this year because they wanted to increase their search engine marketshare. Apple doesn't have a search engine and yahoo's portal page, webmail isn't worth the assuming the problems that yahoo has.

64stang06 · Nov 10, 2008, 08:19 AM

Originally Posted by SSharon

push email that works?

Ha, that's what I was going to post.

nonhuman · Nov 10, 2008, 08:22 AM

It's an interesting question. If Apple were to buy Yahoo! they would be positioned to confront Microsoft on several new fronts that they currently don't (search, advertising, &c.). However they've shown an obvious penchant for working with Google thus far, and I'm not sure how interested they are in moving into those new fields. The only real benefits that I can think of is that they'd gain a few web technologies that might help them improve MobileMe which is really the only area where they're directly competing (and currently losing despite their awesome hardware tie-in) with Google. I'm not sure the benefits of improving MobileMe would really be worth the negatives of taking on the Yahoo! brand which hasn't really been very strong basically since Google happened.

Personally, the only Yahoo! technology that I use is YUI for web interface stuff. Their new web analytics software is interesting too, but again not a space that Apple has previously expressed any interest in.

I just don't think the few advantages of buying Yahoo! overweigh the negatives for anyone except Microsoft (and maybe NewsCorp), which is the only reason that Google is expressing any interest at all.

Chuckit · Nov 10, 2008, 01:01 PM

Originally Posted by SSharon

push email that works?

What? I can't even get IMAP with my Yahoo Mail. Is there magic somewhere?

SSharon · Nov 10, 2008, 01:52 PM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

What? I can't even get IMAP with my Yahoo Mail. Is there magic somewhere?

I don't use the web interface very often, but yahoo mail on the iphone works well for me.

Dakar V · Nov 10, 2008, 01:58 PM

It's not worth it. It would take a decent amount of Apple's time, if not money, to get Yahoo! running up to their standards.

lpkmckenna · Nov 10, 2008, 02:36 PM

Apple should buy Yahoo. Some of that magic Apple pixie dust could turn Yahoo into a contender again. But keep mobileme separate from the Yahoo stuff. Don't fix what's not broken.

mitchell_pgh · Nov 10, 2008, 06:57 PM

I feel Apple would be placed in a two front battle if they purchased Yahoo. They would anger Google and get in the middle of Microsoft (aka, we don't care if we dump money all over the place).

One thing I love about Apple is... they like to make money.