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Facebook is something that Apple couldn't compete against even if it wanted They can't compete against Boeing either but I don't think anyone expects Apple to

by jsz0 16y ago

Facebook is something that Apple couldn't compete against even if it wanted They can't compete against Boeing either but I don't think anyone expects Apple to buy them. Seriously though I think if Apple really wanted to they could build their own homegrown social network and at least be a credible player. They might not have 500M users overnight but 100M in a year? Sure. Build it into the next version of iOS (~125M devices) Another 25-50M would probably leave Facebook because there's a trendy new service in town. Apple's wave of clever advertising gets them another 25M. In 2 or 3 years they have 40-50% as many users as Facebook and still have $51B in the bank. Then they buy Boeing and integrate FaceTime into airplane seats. I suspect if Apple was going to spend a ton of money they would want to sure up their ability to deliver good products from a box of sand to a box on the shelf at the Apple store. CPU/chip fab, flash memory production, display technology/production, etc. They're not as exciting to talk about but I think it makes a lot more sense. Maybe something in telecom since all those devices need to be well connected.

iuguy 16y ago
This is the exact reason why Apple shouldn't want to buy facebook (at least right now). The A4 chip is the first in a long line of supply chain consolidation. I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years time we saw a Macbook Air with an A4 type CPU and a more iOS-integrated OS X (for both x64 and A4). The more ownership of the supply chain Apple has, the more they can inflict quality control standards on to it, and the cheaper they can make equipment. I think ping will succeed as far as Apple's initial goals are concerned (more iTunes sales), but will fail as a social network until they find a compelling way to integrate it into the iPhone experience. Personally, I think the killer app for ping as a social network is messaging and status updates (as every iPhone user has iTunes and thus access to ping) but Apple can't create a messaging client without raining on the Carriers' and developers' parades.

by jsz0 16y ago

iuguy 16y ago

This is the exact reason why Apple shouldn't want to buy facebook (at least right now). The A4 chip is the first in a long line of supply chain consolidation. I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years time we saw a Macbook Air with an A4 type CPU and a more iOS-integrated OS X (for both x64 and A4). The more ownership of the supply chain Apple has, the more they can inflict quality control standards on to it, and the cheaper they can make equipment. I think ping will succeed as far as Apple's initial goals are concerned (more iTunes sales), but will fail as a social network until they find a compelling way to integrate it into the iPhone experience. Personally, I think the killer app for ping as a social network is messaging and status updates (as every iPhone user has iTunes and thus access to ping) but Apple can't create a messaging client without raining on the Carriers' and developers' parades.