Recently, there has been some speculation about what companies Apple might buy with its US$15B in cash. Perhaps Apple should draw from the list of Clearwire, Skype, 700 MHz spectrum space, and maybe even a major studio, according to Quincy Pince-Nez at 9to5 Mac.
Others have speculated on possible candidates including Adobe, TiVo and Nintendo. However, Mr. Quincy Pince-Nez cited some good reasons not to go there. On the other hand, some companies that would give Apple some leverage and could realistically be purchased were listed.
? Clearwire. Fresh off their split from Sprint talks, Clearwire is looking for some more dough. Apple has 15 billion reasons why they should come into the Apple fold. Oh, btw, WiMAX is great match for Appleis new mobile platform.
? Skype - Recently devalued and a bargain. eBay is looking for a buyer. Over 100 million users. VOIP. Phone Numbers. iPod, iPhone, tablets...it all makes much more sense.
? 700 MHz spectrum. Not a company per se - but a huge amount of power in the telecommunications industry for the next 20+ years.
Oh, and One More Thing. Buy a record or movie studio. "Apple has one of the biggest distribution channels on Earth in iTunes and can offer new artists a really big, hip audience in a tenth of the time it takes traditional studios to get content out," the author pointed to an outsideris suggestion. After all, Disney and Pixar have been good training grounds.