“Apple shares got a boost this week, after Carl Icahn revealed on Twitter that he had initiated “a large position” in the stock. In fact, from Icahn’s Tuesday afternoon tweet to Apple’s close that day, the company gained over $13 billion in market share,” Alex Rosenberg reports for CNBC.
“That’s more than the estimated valuation of Twitter itself, which Greencrest Capital pegs at around $11 billion,” Rosenberg reports. “So given the power and reach of the social network, should Apple just go ahead and buy Twitter? Many have long suggested that they could make beautiful music together.”
“‘Apple hasn’t been able to do anything in social, and what Twitter does is put them in a scenario where they can start disseminating information—because that’s really what Facebook’s business is, and Google’s,’ said Dan Nathan of RiskReversal.com,” Rosenberg reports. “‘It would be a huge departure from Apple’s history, but I think it makes a lot of sense. There’s a lot of things they could do with Twitter,’ said Nathan, a contributor to CNBC’s ‘Options Action.'”
Rosenberg reports, “The problem is that the tech giant may have missed the boat.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
You can’t miss a boat if you never intended to board it in the first place. Apple doesn’t need a social network. Their goals and Twitter’s goals likely have nothing in common.
If Apple had any sense they wouldn’t even try for Twitter.
If Twitter had any sense they’d reject all bids to take it over and stay independent. A takeover by any of the big names (Apple, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Facebook) would see a sizeable number of users drop it immediately because they don’t agree with the new corporate master.
Yawn… yet another “Apple should buy x” from a clueless writer.
Perhaps Microsoft will send another few dead $Billions down the drain, just like they did with Nokia and Skype – that’s what they do. Apple knows better.
Agreed.
Apple’s better off buying 10,000 Matchas.
Twitter won’t grow the Apple ecosystem. And if Apple wants a social network they’re better off leveraging and overhauled Address Book / Contacts.
ICann remains skeptical about Cook; Carl needs a CEO who will take his calls and Cook could care less about ICann’s interests in the PC World.
Twitter isn’t just a social, it’s a wicked-fast up-or-down vote; instant consensus; this is the future; every opinion is calculated.
If you’re a no-talent fuck like ICann, Twitter will expose you and you’ll be swept away in a wave of disapproval.
Apple isn’t in social because social can go out of style. Simple as that.
I don’t see how buying Twitter would be an advantage for Apple or even remotely useful. Disseminating information? Apple can do that on Twitter without owning it.
And exactly how does Twitter make money? Yup, advertising on its website and Yahoo! and Bing search engines. Not something Apple’s into.
File this away in the “Apple should buy Adobe” bin of baseless rumors.
Not only that, but paying $11 billion for Twitter?!? Why, so it can go out of style when the Next Big Social Media Thingy comes along? So what does Apple do then, write off the “value” of Twitter? How about all of the people who would drop using Twitter just because Apple owns it (those crazy Microsoft and Android users)?
Apple SHOULD buy Adobe for a few reasons. They would have an opportunity to consolidate similar software, incorporate the best features from Apple and Adobe into one great package, maximize for OSX & iOS and literally OWN the Pro Software market. And the best part — 50 bucks apiece. :~}
On the other hand, Adobe can remain as a monument to remind everyone how Apple customers ARE the BEST customers, and you alienate them to your peril. (Doesn’t matter how small and irrelevant a share of your user base you think they are.)
(Completely OT) I’ve been wondering how Adobe and desktop computing will pan out. If MS goes away as a viable platform for creative professionals, that leaves just Apple. Years from now, will Apple keep producing iMacs, displays and a high-end machine? Will the prices go up exponentially if Apple is the only hardware vendor?
I hope Adobe is working on viable tablet versions of their creative suite.
Either way, Adobe’s services are too large for Apple to manage on top of what they already do with their own products/services and I agree 100% with what others have posted regarding Twitter.
” If Apple walls you off” by restricting Twitter to Apple devices, “you’ll see a huge diminution in users.””
Thanks, random fucktard analyst, for nailing just how fucking clueless you are regarding Apple.
If Blue-ray is a bag of hurt, per Steve Jobs. What was or is Apple’s view of twitter? “Next option please. “
I’ve missed 1000’s of boats, but I still kick myself when I find I could have been wealthy if someone had informed me about the sailing date. Apple knows all about Twitter and the possibilities it may open if it were acquired. When you know the boat and when it might sail, but do nothing- you’re just not interested in the voyage.
Apple buys “small” companies that can increase the delight and value of their products. 😛
Absolutely spot on.
My counterpoint is when will they grow the cajones to make large acquisitions?
Disney comes to mind for one and many others out there.
Buy Dell? Just an insane thought.
Hey Mikey! Take your pick …
“Revenge is a dish best served cold.”
— Khan Noonien Singh,
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
“Revenge is a dish that tastes best when served cold.”
― Mario Puzo, The Godfather
The phrase, “Revenge is a dish best served cold” is waaaay older than either of those movies – any movie for that matter.
Correct, Mighty Mouse.
Chose recent cultural references that I like and others can relate to. Not writing a history book or building a Smithsonian exhibit … 😉
“Cajones”? You want Apple to grow… BOXES?
I’ll phrase it another way since an old saying is alluding you… Apple doesn’t have the “guts.” Was going to use a another word similar to “cajones,” but I didn’t want to come of ballsy …
Apple wouldn’t need to buy any social media company. It can do its own thing and make it better from scratch.
You mean like Ping?
‘Ping’ was a learning experience, and significantly more limited in scale (‘Ping’ revolved around iTunes and music, if I recall, while Twitter revolves around everything) than Twitter.
They’re similar, though I would hardly call it an attempt to create Twitter.
Now, if that’s were a goal that Apple decided to tackle, I suspect that the outcome would have been different.
I’m pretty sure it’s been reported that Steve inquired about purchasing Twitter, and that the Founders of Twitter demurred, and Steve didn’t press them. And that was that, so Apple can’t miss a boat, that wasn’t sailing to begin with.
In the late 70’s and early 80’s, CB radios became all the rage. Everyone had to learn the ‘lingo’ and start spewing anything they could think of on the air. Now we have Twitter and it is just the same. Apple is better off sticking with Messages and leaving Twitter to die on the ash heap of history.
Bon voyage, Twitanic.
(and pay no heed to that sinking feeling caused by adolescent fickleness…)
Twitter. Scourge of the Internet. A complete waste of electrons. You want to be a bird? Jump off a cliff and be done with it.
I don’t even understand what twitter does. Short messages? I have enough interruptions in my day already.
Monday morning quarterback. Genius.
Twitter is fine and probably better off the way it is. Apple does not need to own everything. Social Media is it’s own animal.
Just dole out $100 Billion and snatch up Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Integrate them all seamlessly with iOS only and call it a day.
Or don’t buy any of those and focus on what you do best… providing the venue where hardware, software and design can have a gratuitous love affair.
Be the tech pimp that Steve created you to be Apple.
Please allow me to speak a language that those Wall Street thugs can understand – Anal-ysts…
“Hey yo, yo God damn mother f**ker… why don’t f**king all of you go buy a duffle bag, cover your whole f**king body, put a heavy f**king concrete block in there, and jump the f**k into the East River where all yo s**t belong!!…”
Pls excuse my Wall Street style language, I apologize for it.
my 2 cents…
Is there any other good investment for Apple rather than buying back its own shares?
My bank account. I promise Apple will get some of it back.
Microsoft should buy Twitter, wreck it, and make it go away forever so I can stop hearing about people making fools of themselves with it.
So how much money has Twitter actually made to sport a market cap of $11 billion?
Apple already has a nice “social” ecosystem with the AppStore, iTunes, etc. It complements what Facebook and Twitter do, but does not need them to be successful. The only way to make money on social media is either push ads, or sell goods and services through the interaction and cover the costs of supporting the social ecosystem in the price of what is sold. Twitters model does not jive with Apple’s. There is not much for Apple to gain by acquiring Twitter and a lot to lose.