sigh please read the thread first 

 Sony market cap 26.5 billion http://www.google.com/finance?client=ob&q=NYSE:SNE so worse then i thought 

 apple has at least   25.65 billion in cash on hand debt free    http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=Aapl  these numbers have not been updated since holiday Q and i know apple beat market expectations last Q

apples   117.62 cap

 if i had updated numbers as ive seen floating around 29-34.5 B

and remember apple has no debt 

so yes they could buy sony most likely if the did in a combined cash/stock deal 

 I feel it would be a fools deal for apple mainly due to the increased scrutiny of the government for vertical integration by owning one of the big 4 music labels, and a conflict of interest for jobs until he retires to be on Disney board and over sony which has sony pictures. 

also walkman/ipod fight .   the whole sony computer arm vs apples (heres a clue vaio would be gone).  sonys proprietary music store ventures and formats gone, for itunes and acc.  hardware selling at a loss gone.   and if you remember what happened to apple when jobs first took over, a massive restructuring with major product line simplification, for apple it was for every 6 devices 1 so expect to see whole divisions gone. 

oh yea, and id expect major first party studios to close apple does not take kindly to software that under performs 

@goddog

You make some good points, but maybe someone like Jobs is needed to restructure Sony appropriately. And in some of the smaller industries where they are in what I guess we're referring to as 'direct competition' (ipod, Walkman), the products could either be merged or one of them let go (likely the walkman). It would be a bit too much work than Apple might want to take, but Jobs would be a good person to turn Sony profitable, IMO.

@computers tho, Vaio can go? They aren't terrible PCs, but they cost too much normally for what they offer. Way too much. At the end of the day, Sony might be able to help with the hardware side of Apple PCs even.

the last few things apple has bought from sony ended up being recalled, batteries (industry wide there), and laptop screens (mainly on 15 inch laptop tfts apple has since switched suppliers)

Im not saying vaios are bad, im saying they wont live up to jonathan Ives design philosophy and clutter the line up of computers something jobs does not want.   if they survive it will be spun off at purchase so apple never gets them. 

Apple should join Sony and help make PSN better than XBL.

I wouldn't be opposed to that at all, actually.  Like I said, Vaio's are too expensive already anyway.  That's what I'm talking about when I said any products the two companies have in the same market could either be merged or get rid of one, this case would easily be the Vaios.

While Apple has enough money at hand to cover Sony's market value, usually there's a premium paid over market value in these kind of operations tho...

Anyways it would never happen. Apple's always looking for "the next big thing" because that's where the phat margins are, "old" markets with razor thin margins it's not what they are after.

Apple would never be able to take over Sony or vice versa although theres always the chance they could join together - as you say they have very few products that clash (only the iphone/ipod touch versus PSP). They both have a illfondess of Microsoft XD.

I wouldn't be surprised if Apple started developing games though instead of annoucing their own console.


Richard

ur opinion

my opinion

walkwan way better than ipod - dont care abt looks

ericsson way better than iphone - have had it for the past 12 yrs

psp WAY better than iphone -  dont even what to comment on this

HAHA!! I've grown up all the way through these eras (records - present day) and does no way the sony erikson come up even in the top 50!! The iphone and ipod wouldn't come in the top 50 either. As for walkman that in my book is the only thing Sony have made that is worth buying even though (like usual Sony) it was waaaay overpriced at release. There are essential purchases in electronics (CD, DVD, Video Players, Record Players, Tape Players) in the past. What are classed as pure gimmicks and NOT essential purchases are Blu-ray (just to play it in all it's video and audio glory you will need a $2000+ system!), IPOD(anything - much, much too fiddly and in no way is the average person going to be enticed by purchasing them). Too niche!