What Company Should Apple Buy Next?

[Clie]

MacCentral is commenting on an article "Apple's Music Lessons" written by David Zeiler (full rticle ://www.sunspot.net/technology).
The gist of the article is that Apple is diversifying via digital media, no new news there. Let me offer what I think should happen next.

If Apple wants to drive more consumers to it's hardware. It should provide audible and video media. The first step would be to buy Audible.com. I know they have a business relation that allows audible.com downloads to iPods but I think there's room for more. Such a move would be the stepping off point to more grander schemes.

In my quest for the digitial hub of nervanna, I'd love to be able to program a device that gathered the news and entertainment media that I wanted and not have that decision made for me by some media conglomerate, think of a Tvio for video, internet, and audible media. I think such a device will be marketed by Apple at some point in the future. The benefit to producing such a device for Apple is to own the means of producing some of the content the device would use.

Currently Apple owns some very effective media creation tools but very little content. I think Apple is uniquely positioned to provide the platform, tools, and the content. Audible.com is the audible media provider, Apple would then need to acquire the video equivilant. The execution of this strategy would deplete some of that cash they're hording but it would also drive up hardware sales and increase market share.

There's my 2 cents.

[serpicolugnut]

I think Apple should make two purchases, in seperate fields...

First off, they should buy Roxio. Roxio will be entering the online music biz with a revamped Napster, and will probably be Apple's biggest competition (outside of MS, whenever they decide to jump in to the fray). In a Roxio purchase, Apple would also get the excellent Toast software, which sells quite well on the Mac. Also, they get a whole crop of Windows programs for burning, video and dvd creation. Roxio has the lions share of the CD burning software market on the PC, and Apple could effectively control that. Apple would also get some great engineers who could assist in bringing iTunes to Windows...

The other purchase I believe Apple should make is in Silicon Graphics. SG would get Apple in the door in some high end creative markets that Apple has been lusting after for some time. Merging together the best parts of both Apple and SG would produce a 3D powerhouse company. Apple would also get Alias Wavefront's Maya out of this deal, which would be huge. With Maya, FCP, and Shake, Apple would have a pro digital content creation lineup second to none...

Of course, it's all just wishful thinking....

[Randman]

I agree with Serpi. And while I think audible.com has some great stuff, I wonder if Amazon has a stake in it since they're now linked as well.
I'd also like to see Apple take over Real.

[Arden]

Apple should buy Adobe! No...

I think Apple should buy Real and disband it. It's a horrible media player that is incompatible with anything else.

Apple should buy BuyMusic.com so they can get rid of their greatest yet crappy competitor to the Music Store. Then they could market it the way it should be.

[Decado]

Apple should buy Microsoft
No seriously, i think they should buy id Software and/or Atari (infogrames). Some mayor PC game producer anyway. And then make every release both pc and mac compatible (so you could buy your mac games everywhere)

[chevy]

If someone kills Real, it will be Microsoft. No need for Apple to bother.

I don't see Apple doing the content... I may be wrong.

But Apple could remarket more of the peripherals, and not limit itself to iPod, screens, keyboards and mice. Why no graphic tablets, cameras (oh yes, they have on fixed one, but why not a portable one), headsets (they tried with loudspeakers, why not continue). And later PDAs, cell phones.... (Newtons ?)....
watches...

[Decado]

If i remeber correctly from the early nineties:
Apple making a lot of products was NOT a good thing. they had cameras and printers and PDAs. there was a reason they stopped with all that stuff. Microsoft is experiencing the same kind of thing now... they make alot of different products that are all bleeding the company and the only thing that brings in money are office and windows.

Let the camera makers make cameras and the printermakers make printers.
And apple make computers, OS, iPods, applications and displays enough is enough

[chevy]

I agree Decado... I don't think Apple should develop all these products... they should remarket these... (I don't think they develop screens or iSight... they just sell these).