Two lists crossed my desk that say volumes about the silly rumor that swept through the blogosphere Tuesday like a Mexican flu: that Apple (AAPL) is in “serious negotiations” to buy Twitter.
The first, courtesy of Technologizer‘s Harry McCracken, recaps a dozen other companies Apple was supposedly about to buy. The second, straight from Wikipedia, is the list of recent Apple acquisitions that actually occurred. Without further ado…
McCracken’s Apple acquisitions that aren’t going to happen:
- 2003 Universal Music. Source: The Register
- 2004 Pixar. Source: CNNMoney
- 2005 Tivo (TIVO). Source: Reuters via AppleInsider
- 2006 Palm (PALM). Source: Ars Technica
- 2006 Sun Microsystems (JAVA). Source: John C. Dvorak
- 2006 Disney (DIS). Source: Barron’s via MarketWatch
- 2006 Nintendo. Source: Cnet
- 2007 Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). Source: Seeking Alpha
- 2008 Sony (SNE). Source: Bloomberg
- 2008 Adobe Systems (ADBE). Source: Robert X. Cringely
- 2009 Yahoo (YHOO). Source: Search Engine Watch
- 2009 Electronic Arts (ERTS). Source: Upside Down Charts
Wikipedia’s List of mergers and acquisitions by Apple:
- 1997 Next (programming services). Value: $404 million
- 1997 Power Computing (cloned computers). Value: $100 million
- 1999 Xemplar Education (software). Value: $5 million
- 1999 Raycer Graphics (graphic chips). Value: $15 million
- 2000 NetSelector (Internet software). Value: NA
- 2001 Astarte (DVD authoring software). Value: NA
- 2001 Source Technologies (graphics software). Value: NA
- 2001 PowerSchool (online info systems services). Value: $62 million
- 2002 Nothing Real (special effects software). Value: $15 million
- 2002 Zayante (software). Value: $13 million
- 2002 Silicon Grail Corp-Chalice (digital effects software). Value: NA
- 2002 Emagic (music production software). Value: $30 million
- 2006 Silicon Color (software). Value: NA
- 2006 Proximity (software). Value: NA
- 2008 P.A. Semi (semiconductors). $268 million
See the disconnect?
The first list is made up entirely of high-profile companies with huge price tags whose acquisition by Apple — with a cash reserve of nearly $29 billion — would make for juicy copy. As Good Morning Silicon Valley‘s headline puts it: “Apple’s cash burning a hole in rumor mill’s pocket.”
But judging from the second list, those are precisely the kind of purchases Apple is least likely to make. “Apple’s business philosophy,” as the Wikipedia entry succinctly puts it, “is to acquire small companies that can be easily integrated into existing company projects.”
“Twapple” is just not the kind of thing they drink in Cupertino.
