Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

You are here: MacNN Forums > Community > MacNN Lounge > The Ultimate Thread: Why doesn't Apple buy Microsoft now?

The Ultimate Thread: Why doesn't Apple buy Microsoft now?
Thread Tools
HamSandwich
Guest
Status:
Reply With Quote
Mar 6, 2014, 11:19 AM
 
Hey everyone,

I started to come back more often here. In addition, I have over 1,000 posts now. It is time for a brain-the-size-of-a-planet-question now!

Apple is so rich everyone has excellent suggestions for them to do something with the money. How about buying good old MS?

The scenario:
MS is no longer the we-do-everything-we-can-think-of-company it used to be for so long. They did consolidate a tiny bit. What that means however, I think there are great options on the table, like splitting apart in software and hardware companies, or another additional company for Xbox. Apple could do this.
Apple is good at concentration, maybe as good as at inventing new categories. They really accompany them over time, helping, nurturing etc. They would consolidate the whole company, have better divisions etc.

What would they do, well... Maybe you can help Windows 8 to be what it was supposed to be. Forget about Windows Phone perhaps, integrate Nokia to help out. They could release Office for iPad, too.

Seriously, they could go out, buy them, and think about rethrowing the party later. Cancel the dominion, stop the corruption, prove that diversified electronics companies NEVER really last, hmm.

Hu?
Pete
     
subego
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 6, 2014, 06:33 PM
 
Apple needs a crummy platform in the marketplace for people to switch from.
     
reader50
Administrator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: California
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 6, 2014, 07:07 PM
 
Anti-trust regulators would not allow it. The combined company would have nearly all computer and OS sales in the US.
     
turtle777
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: planning a comeback !
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 6, 2014, 07:58 PM
 
Seriously, Peter ?

-t
     
P
Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 7, 2014, 09:02 AM
 
Originally Posted by reader50 View Post
Anti-trust regulators would not allow it. The combined company would have nearly all computer and OS sales in the US.
This is true, but also...why should Apple bother?

Windows: mostly used by corporate customers who don't want to pay, resist change, require long-term support and complicated "I want it just like this!" setups. I don't think anyone should buy that part - it doesn't make money anyway.

Office: This is the only good part, and Apple could well own this.

Xbox: I don't know how many times this needs to be said, but the Xbox is billions in the hole over the lifetime of the project and finished dead last in the first generation, shared last in the second and is off to a bad start versus the PS4 in this one. It has its fans, but its market is far too much in North America, and MS has done nothing to improve that.

The phone & hardware bits: Apple has these things already, and they're better at it.

Cloud services: This is the one piece that Apple truly needs, but I think they'd do better with a partner that focuses on this exclusively. Selling cloud services to others does not seem like a good fit, and buying MS just to get a cloud services shop is crazy.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
HamSandwich
Guest
Status:
Reply With Quote
Mar 7, 2014, 10:26 AM
 
Originally Posted by turtle777 View Post
Seriously, Peter ?

-t
had a bad day, sry ...
     
OreoCookie
Moderator
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Hilbert space
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 7, 2014, 01:42 PM
 
I don't see a single solid reason why buying Microsoft would be good for Apple. Apple licenses all the Microsoft technologies it needs (e. g. Exchange). Sure, Apple relies on Azure and perhaps would save some change if it didn't have to license certain Microsoft technologies, but I don't see that as a strong reason for Apply buying Microsoft.
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
     
starman
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Union County, NJ
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 7, 2014, 01:44 PM
 
Nope. Different culture, and quite frankly, we need healthy competition.

Home - Twitter - Sig Wall-Retired - Flickr
     
HamSandwich
Guest
Status:
Reply With Quote
Mar 8, 2014, 07:46 AM
 
It was one of those days, really. After weeks of debates, my parents suddenly emailed in the morning they would pay for a new iMac. Hurray. Except for the fact I thought they were poking fun at me, writing again at night, telling me it was wrong to believe it etc. So... I had this long work day, eight or nine hours, exam on Tuesday coming. In the evening, I thought I could go watch a panel presentation from a political party right next to me in the quarter here. Didn't find the building. Was late. Went home and emailed parents not to poke fun at me all the time.

Then they, apparently, ordered the iMac one day later. Puh.

What do you do when you are angy? I still think about MS, see, it is now all subconscious!

Happy weekend,
Pete
     
   
Thread Tools
 
Forum Links
Forum Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Top
Privacy Policy
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:43 AM.
All contents of these forums © 1995-2017 MacNN. All rights reserved.
Branding + Design: www.gesamtbild.com
vBulletin v.3.8.8 © 2000-2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.,