righttttt, Nintendo is so 'dead' that they are massively the largest software developer in the industry by sales (probably something like 5x over the next closest), are the only remaining contendor in the handheld market really, and lately in weekly sales (even with a terribly marketed and designed system) aren't even that far behind the X-ONe, a system backed by the biggest company in the world (Microsoft)

Apple's wealth is extremely inflated anyway, they don't produce anything raw that actually has real world long term worth. At least Microsoft has a staple in every household with their practically required programs (Microsoft Word, Windows). Apple creates cute thin phones. They do not have anything that justifies the value of their business. good sales, obviously, yes, but its not as if they own some magical intellectual property that gurantees their future success (curved edges on their style of phone is litearlly all they have!)

and Nintendo is valued lower than they were in the Wii/DS eras but it is no some massive difference. in the end its their IPs that make them so valuable, and they still are dominant in some respects in the gaming industry (software sales vs. any other company AND handhelds). 

All it will take is a normal logical home console from Nintendo to skyrocket them up again. lets just so hope they have the sense not to do the whacky tablet or motion control thing again :O we want a normal controller Nintendo! stop making us plug in adapters to play Smash and things

you're just staring at numbers without understanding what they mean

in terms of real world assets Microsoft is much larger than Apple. Apple, again as others have mentioned, is just inflated due to people getting overly giddy about their stocks. they can't go into their pockets like some are suggesting. if it were as simple as some as you suggest then Apple would have tried it already

Microsoft is in a much better position to acquire large companies. which they do regularly. but they've tried to do it with the likes of Nintendo before and for the millionth time the Japanese government will bar anything like that from happening. regardless, Nintendo is a unique company as majority control of the company remains internal

a duopoly when in recent weeks the Xone is selling like 85000 to Wii U's 60000 ? sorry, but the reality is Sony / Playstation is a one man show right now

when considering the 3DS + Wii U and then software sales (which Nintendo is by farrr the #1 software developer in sales in video games) Microsoft is putting together nowhere near the amount of revenue in gaming as Nintendo

for gods sake the 3DS has been out since 2011 (?) and is still beating the Xone every week

the claims that Nintendo is not relevant in the gaming industry are just absurd. There are far more conventions and tournaments these days revolving around Nintendo than Sony/Xbox. 

this

every kid and their dad knows what Pokemon and Mario are. no one remembers the title characters in the last GTA or Call of Duty game. 

as much as anything else Nintendo's intellectual property is what makes them so valuable

one particular poor console in design and marketing doesn't change that

The handheld market you mention Nintendo being the only contender in is a market Apple continues to erode and make irrelevent with its devices. The 3DS successor would do well to sell a portion of the 3DS total sales.

I don't understand how you can talk down Apple because their products are luxury items but then in the same breath speak to how important Nintendo is. Even if I agreed with you about Nintendo still being a large force in the gaming industry, it should be clear that Apple's devices devours the industry as a whole.

I do agree that a normal controller for the next nintendo console would do better for people interested in playing games like SSB, but over all the only way they are going to get large buy in with a traditional console is to take it from Microsoft and Sony, and I dont see that happening. They are fare more likely to do their own thing and either be rewarded or burned for it. One way or another, it wont have a huge effect on the rest of the market.

In 5 years I can see more of their revenue coming from figures, mobile and digital content than traditional full games. They have a dedicated following, and that seems to be the best way to take advantage of them

Apple could buy any one of Nintendo, MS, or Sony if they wanted, MS would obviously be the hardest though.

They have cold hard cash reserves that are enormous, it's not just their stock price is big. They have like 6 of the 10 highest corporate profits in history for any type of company.

If we lived in a world where poison pills, government intervention and a multitude of other factors were not an issue.... it would be possible. But Nintendo and Sony are untouchable behind the protection of the Japanese Gov, MS would fight tooth and nail to stay Inependent and so a hostile takeover is impossible as the shares would inflate to an ungainly sum. 

In this day and age "takeovers" are actually rare to non-existant. What you have is mergers unless it is a giant buying a mino. Where two large companies decide they have some symbiosis or synergy and can be vertically integrated to create value... this is where a merger is most likely. 

The second someone tells Nintendo that putting Mario Kart on a iOS device means they'll make more money than God we can put away all these (someone) should buy Nintendo topics.

Apple is so much larger in terms of power over say a Nintendo or Sony that it would effectively be a take over even if it was labelled a "merger". 

Sega is worthless and Nintendo would be their target but they really wouldn't enter the console market as they mostly focus on Mobile gaming and their app store.