RUMOR: Apple’s buying spree isn’t over; Next big move is going to be TV

16 Comments

Invisible Shield for Apple iPhone 4!“Apple’s shopping spree isn’t over. Expect more deals soon,” Dan Frommer reports for The BusinessInsider. “At least that’s some of the gossip we heard while moderating a CEO dinner last night at Il Buco in Manhattan, set up by the local Mobile Monday group and folks from Skyhook Wireless and Gunderson Dettmer.”

Here’s the gossip:
• Apple’s next big move is going to be TV
• Apple’s shopping spree isn’t over, and the company is looking at all kinds of deals, even up to $1 billion

Read more in the full article here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “Andrew W.” for the heads up.]

16 Comments

  3. I’ll say it again…

    One word: SPACEWAY… not to be confused with Spacely Sprockets!

    SPACEWAY is a state-of-the-art communications satellite system designed by Hughes and powered by Boeing.

    I’m guessing the cost to be somewhere around 800-million for one system that would operate in a geostationary, globally-assigned Ka-Band spectrum, 22,000 miles above the Equator.

    SPACEWAY employs high-performance, onboard digital processing, packet switching, and spot-beam technology to offer direct site-to-site connectivity. This is bleeding-edge stuff for satellites.

    It can cost NASA a half-billion dollars to carry out a shuttle mission, however, the shuttle could easily carry several satellites. Apple could easily pay for the launch.

    Then there is always Arianespace of Europe, who placed an order for 35 Airane 5 expendable launch system rockets, which is the workhorse of payload deliveries. Apple could acquire one of those for a couple billion, I’m guessing.

    An Apple-owned Hughes satellite system is capable of delivering,

     Broadband Internet access
     VoIP telephony
     Private IP for corporate intranet
     Multicast data delivery
     Multimedia, including MPEG video and digital video record capabilities

    Now imagine coupling this satellite system with the data center in North Kakalacky and Apple’s appeal to the content providers and consumers would skyrocket. Think of DirecTV and Dish on steroids, powered by AppleSoft.

    Suddenly, my TV has purpose. For about 99-bucks I could buy the Apple Dish and pay about 50-bucks a month for voice, data, and Mobile Me to tie it all together.

    Reply

  9. The only TV that Apple will be getting into are negotiated deals with content creators and wireless networks. Apple will pioneer TV streaming to iPads and Apple TV boxes in a way that works and is pleasant to use (unlike most other products out there now) — hopefully in a way similar to iTunes but not necessarily adding bloat to the program any more than it already is.

    Should Apple be challenging the cable monopolies just yet? Cable providers have the power to make any set-top box a frustratingly useless accessory by throttling or other subversive measures.

    I don’t ever expect an Apple-branded television monitor. There is no money to be made offering yet another monitor in an already overcrowded marketspace.

    Reply

  10. I like the Hulu idea, Hulu have managed to negotiate deals because they are NOT Apple, the media (rightly) see Apple as a threat, so let Hulu negotiate all the deals and then… BANG! snap em up when no one is looking.

    Reply

  13. I’d buy an Apple tv (LG oled?). But I HAVE to be able to burn ONE copy to blu-ray. I’m not gonna download any movies, if I can’t make at least ONE copy. It would be well worth it, if you could download 4000 x 2000 res 3D movies, and make one copy.
    Then, that would be BETTER than upcoming 3D blu-ray movies.

    Reply

  14. @radioflyer

    An AppleSat is the consummate walled-garden and dove-tails nicely with their business model.

    By providing their own pipe, Apple wrests control of the delivery channel from the common gatekeepers, who aren’t necessarily content providers, just middlemen taking their cut.

    For those who are content providers, like Disney, Pixar, WB, et. al., an Apple partnership would give them exclusive access to iAd and Apple consumers.

    An Apple satellite would truly distinguish Apple from its competitors. Those who would argue that an Apple satellite is still a decade away, are still looking for the puck.

    An Apple satellite is exactly the sort of bold move we’d expect from a company like Apple. For a few billion dollars Apple could not only distance themselves from their competitors by an order of magnitude, but they could take complete control of the user experience, from concept to completion, and maybe redefine what it is to be a media network.

    Apple could become a sponsor of organic programming, like G4 and other tech shows, and offer podcasting 24/7.

    I forsee an Apple-sponsored educational channel, where an Apple classroom would become an invaluable resource for both laymen and professionals alike.

    Apple could provide vendors a secure means to distribute software and updates to consumers much the same way they do now.

    Perhaps Apple could develop an amphitheater on the Apple campus extension, for promotional events to be beamed around the world?

    Both Dish and DirecTV have made the process work, but Apple brings to the table, an unparalleled infrastructure for content delivery. A satellite system would remove another costly layer between Apple and its consumers.

    Every Apple satellite membership would include Voip services, broadband, Mobile Me, a movie experience superior to Netflix, radio/podcast broadcasts, learning channels, Disney channels, etc.

    An Apple-branded satellite system is inevitable if you extrapolate forward, Apple’s current business model.

    I have already made my thoughts on the matter known to Steve Jobs, but I seriously doubt he’ll answer my letter because the idea is so far-fetched, or, it’s already on the drawing board.

    Reply

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