“Almost everyone knows that Apple is sitting on a huge pile of cash, around $24.5 billion. That might be enough to fill one of Scrooge McDuck’s cash vaults, but there have to be some other interesting things to do with that much money,” Frank Fox writes for Low End Mac.
“While feeling depressed about how low the value of Apple stock has fallen recently (below $90 per share), I checked out some other companies that are falling due to the same economic worries. There I saw the perfect company that is finally cheap enough that Apple can buy the whole thing: Dell,” Fox writes. “That’s right, Dell has a market capitalization of only $18.55 billion. Apple can buy it and still have money left over.”
MacDailyNews Take: You could’ve just read MacDailyNews last month: Apple could buy Dell outright; Mac-maker has more cash on hand than Dell is worth – October 21, 2008
Fox continues, explaining that Apple should buy Dell for “total shock value,” for help getting a foot in the door in enterprise, and for a brand that Apple “could use for selling low spec PC with Mac OS X installed without diluting its own brand value.”
Full article here.
Buy TiVo and make the DVR unit out of a MacMini TV/DVR. There would be a Mac in almost 1/2 of America in just a few short years!
Good grief. Citibank gets bailed out; Obama promises record deficits; housing prices sink further and all this guy can think to write about is Apple buying Dell? Looks like November unemployment claims will be 500,001 when this clown is factored in.
Buying Dull makes as much sense as buying GM
FSCK no.. This is a dumb question. Let them whither on the vine.. Buy a company that’s going to help them, rather than just buying a company that you have no interest in.
nooo. God no!
Buy a small fish net instead. You can scoop out turds for free that way.
I think buying dell does not exactly means buying the crap computer maker, it means buying DELL’s market. Where ever there is a DELL customer, it automaticaly became a Apple’s customer, so then they just star selling the upgrade of a Dell PowerEdge4600 for a Apple OSX server and the same with desktops and work stations.
So Apple could sell low end PCs and get into the server market? Big friggin’ deal. Apple could accomplish the exact same feat by licensing OS X to Dell, having nothing to do with Dell’s facilities, employees, problems, etc., and very likely make more money.
That doesn’t mean licensing OS X is a good idea either.
Just because you have money to spend doesn’t mean you should spend the money you have. That’s a big reason we’re in this economic crunch to begin with.
Just ask Mike Dell.
If you think $88 a share is way too low for a rampantly successful Apple, think what price might Apple be if it actually squandered the cash pile and bought Dell?
$28 maybe?
Is everyone so dumb that they don’t remember Power Computing? Low buck box with a Mac OS? Lasted all of 2-3 years. Nuff said.
Is it really a sound investment, though? What would they do with Dell?
“…Who ever came up with that idea is a moron .”
I think you meant “maroon.”
Apple might as well give that money to the government to help with the bailouts. It adds about that much value…
Stupidest idea…
Shock value…wow…
The only value Dell has is its relationships with large corporate customer and governments. Its technology itself has 0 value to Apple.
Nope…
This must occur for Michael Dell in his dreams each night…
Oh, please! Is this “Smoke some bad stuff and write a column day”? These same notions keep popping up like carnival heads:
Buy Sony… even though they haven’t had a winner in years
Buy Adobe… even though Apple could develop better products with a far smaller investment and make Adobe irrelevant
Buy Dell… but Apple no more buys junk than it sells junk
Buy GM… though it carries untold billions in unfunded pension and medical care obligations and burns through money like a wildfire through drought parched forest
Then there’s Sun… which at least has a place in the server room, but despite its technology gets little respect because it can’t seem to make any money. I’d say “buy it” so I could finally get rid of my shares, but it makes little business sense for Apple. (HP or IBM could buy it and put it out of its misery, but there might be anti-trust implications.)
I’d rather they buy Adobe instead.
<b>W H Y ? ! ? !</i>
Microsoft is in Dell’s future anyway.
Just think about it, Ballmer. Buying Dell and Yahoo would give you complete control over the user experience. You’d be Apple as only MS could do it!
Oh be sure to borrow LOTS of money to make it happen. Deals like this take time to work, you know.
I may not like their choice of computer manufacturer or operating system, but Dell’s corporate customers are not brain dead. Simply putting a Dell logo on a Mac is not going to fool them. If there is a real opportunity to sell into the enterprise Apple does not need Dell.
Michael Dell’s net worth is also nearly Dell’s market cap, and I don’t see him putting in an offer…
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Buying Dell would be like going back in time and buying the Titanic. Why would you do THAT?!!
Caribbean cruises?
@ Driver:
Not only do I remember Power Computing, but in the corner of a back office I have one of their Power Center 210s (we use it for legacy access to SCSI devices and storage). I have to take exception, however, to your characterization of it as a “low end” box maker in the same league as Dell. Power Computing made very good machines that consistently received good reviews. Heck, the one in our office is ten years old and is still running.
What killed Power Computing wasn’t the quality of its systems, it was Steve Jobs’ decision to pull the plug on the MacOS licensing program. As it turned out, that was a good move for Apple, but I was sad to see a good company get left high-and-dry.
Why would Apple destroy the image it worked so carefully for?
Should Apple buy beleaguered Dell?
In short: NO.
In long: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
(gag shamelessly stolen from Zero Punctuation’s review of “Spore”)
We try our best, but some will never get it.
But why…
What does Dell have that Apple needs… nothing!