Is Google Going To Buy Apple?

By Daniel Miessler on June 21st, 2007: Tagged as Apple | Google | Microsoft | Religion

The rumors about Google and Apple are getting more serious. Most recently the fuel has come from a New York Magazine article:

Some of his friends say these close calls have mellowed him. “I see him around the neighborhood,” says one. “He looks different than he did a few years ago. I think he may want to do something else.” Say what? “I think that Google is going to buy Apple,” this person says. “It would be a victory for Apple; they’d get major-league partners, money, and engineers. And it would be a victory for Steve—a huge win that lets him leave the stage.”

Is this a rumor? Yes. But this is the type of rumor you should pay attention to.

GApple

Add to this the fact that a close friend of mine is a system administrator who works on Macs and gets regularly taken out by her local Apple representative. Well, a few months back this person pretty much said exactly the same thing — that Jobs was stepping down, and that it would be Google stepping in. He didn’t give details (he probably didn’t have any anyway), but that part was clear — Google in charge of Apple.

Of course, commentary from some Apple representative doesn’t make a rumor true, but there’s more. The most compelling thing about the story is the fact that it makes perfect sense.

  • There have been numerous hints that Jobs may be stepping down soon — not the least of which being his numerous run-ins with cancer.
  • Eric Schmidt joins Jobs on stage at MacWorld to discuss them working together extensively.
  • Eric Schmidt recently joined the Apple board of directors.
  • They are both Microsoft arch-enemies.
  • Jobs is very paternal when it comes to his baby (Apple). It makes sense that he’d encourage the board to pick someone like Google to take over because he doesn’t trust anyone else to follow his vision.

So when you combine the recent comments made with the fact that there’s been speculation about a merger since before MacWorld, and an actual Apple rep clearly saying this was privately being discussed…uh, yeah — it’s at least worth considering as a possibility.

I can’t possibly imagine the pain in Microsoft’s collective face if this were to actually take place. It’ll be a sad day in Redmond, that’s for sure.:

  • http://www.daxdesai.com/ High Return Investing with Dax

    These are 2 of my favorite companies. I’d be apprehensive about a merger. Sometimes you take 2 great things and combine them and it causes both to become mediocre.

    It would be interesting to say the least. We all know that Apple tends to fall everytime Steve is out of the picture. Would be a strong partner in Google if they were to buy Apple.

  • http://www.daxdesai.com High Return Investing with Dax

    These are 2 of my favorite companies. I’d be apprehensive about a merger. Sometimes you take 2 great things and combine them and it causes both to become mediocre.

    It would be interesting to say the least. We all know that Apple tends to fall everytime Steve is out of the picture. Would be a strong partner in Google if they were to buy Apple.

  • http://www.cigarexperience.com/ Jeffrey Henderson

    That would be stupid. Macs are lame.

    Everyone at Google already uses Ubuntu. Why don’t they partner with them to make custom hardware running GooBuntu??

  • http://www.cigarexperience.com Jeffrey Henderson

    That would be stupid. Macs are lame.

    Everyone at Google already uses Ubuntu. Why don’t they partner with them to make custom hardware running GooBuntu??

  • http://dmiessler.com/ Daniel Miessler

    > That would be stupid. Macs are lame.

    Excellent point, sir. Thank you for contributing.

  • http://dmiessler.com Daniel Miessler

    > That would be stupid. Macs are lame.

    Excellent point, sir. Thank you for contributing.

  • Aaron Funk

    This is pointless waste of bytes… Bill Gates is THE majority shareholder in Apple in case you missed 3-year old news… Do you think he’d allow the one possible M$-killer? Why do you think he bought 51% of Apple in the first place? Protection… He’s not a dumb man…

    Yes, we’d all love to see Goople or whatever we want to call it, but this is as fantastic as saying that Ubuntu is going to buy IBM – in that it makes no sense when you look at the business rationale behind it.

    And some guy’s buddy meets with an Apple rep – and that’s supposed to lend crediblilty to the rumor? Well, I’ve got a senior account rep who has been meeting with all sorts of important people and rumor has it that their new hover bridge is up for sale…

    Interested? ;)

  • Aaron Funk

    This is pointless waste of bytes… Bill Gates is THE majority shareholder in Apple in case you missed 3-year old news… Do you think he’d allow the one possible M$-killer? Why do you think he bought 51% of Apple in the first place? Protection… He’s not a dumb man…

    Yes, we’d all love to see Goople or whatever we want to call it, but this is as fantastic as saying that Ubuntu is going to buy IBM – in that it makes no sense when you look at the business rationale behind it.

    And some guy’s buddy meets with an Apple rep – and that’s supposed to lend crediblilty to the rumor? Well, I’ve got a senior account rep who has been meeting with all sorts of important people and rumor has it that their new hover bridge is up for sale…

    Interested? ;)

  • http://www.airdistributors.com/ Jay Wollmann

    I don’t know how I feel about it actually. I love both companies, but I like what they do individually. Then again, it could be great, but how likely is it really?

  • http://www.airdistributors.com/ Jay Wollmann

    I don’t know how I feel about it actually. I love both companies, but I like what they do individually. Then again, it could be great, but how likely is it really?

  • Jason

    Aaron,

    If Gates did own that much stock in Apple, I’m pretty sure he’d be doing a lot to ensure its success. He’d also probably hold a position like CEO, President, or Chairman. I’m sure he doesn’t own that much stock, and I don’t know if he owns any stock in Apple today.

    I haven’t taken the time to look this all up–it’s all just going on what little I know about stocks and interests in investments. Do post some links to the news from three years ago that you’ve mentioned.

    Also, regarding your hover-bridge analogy, the key difference is you and everyone else knows you made that up. Dan actually has heard his info from the rep he mentioned. It isn’t that it makes his info more factual, it’s just that your way of trying to discredit it isn’t successful or logical at all.

    Finally, “He’s not a dumb man…” Zune.

  • Jason

    Aaron,

    If Gates did own that much stock in Apple, I’m pretty sure he’d be doing a lot to ensure its success. He’d also probably hold a position like CEO, President, or Chairman. I’m sure he doesn’t own that much stock, and I don’t know if he owns any stock in Apple today.

    I haven’t taken the time to look this all up–it’s all just going on what little I know about stocks and interests in investments. Do post some links to the news from three years ago that you’ve mentioned.

    Also, regarding your hover-bridge analogy, the key difference is you and everyone else knows you made that up. Dan actually has heard his info from the rep he mentioned. It isn’t that it makes his info more factual, it’s just that your way of trying to discredit it isn’t successful or logical at all.

    Finally, “He’s not a dumb man…” Zune.

  • Frances

    @ Aaron

    I don’t know what planet you live on but it must be a fantastic place and the bunnies must be truly spectacular.

    When exactly did it occur that Bill Gates because majority shareholder of Apple? On Steve Jobs’ watch? When Apple was doing extremely well?

    Even when he gave Apple 150 million dollar, it wasn’t a big slice of the pie of Apple’s cake. When is this history finally going to die? If Bill Gates was majority shareholder, why does the iPod still exist?

    Apple should not be taken over by Google. Google are the Johnny come-latelies. It couldn’t be a takeover, Apple is swimming in money these days. Good luck trying a hostile takeover. A merger… meh, I can’t see it happening.

  • Frances

    @ Aaron

    I don’t know what planet you live on but it must be a fantastic place and the bunnies must be truly spectacular.

    When exactly did it occur that Bill Gates because majority shareholder of Apple? On Steve Jobs’ watch? When Apple was doing extremely well?

    Even when he gave Apple 150 million dollar, it wasn’t a big slice of the pie of Apple’s cake. When is this history finally going to die? If Bill Gates was majority shareholder, why does the iPod still exist?

    Apple should not be taken over by Google. Google are the Johnny come-latelies. It couldn’t be a takeover, Apple is swimming in money these days. Good luck trying a hostile takeover. A merger… meh, I can’t see it happening.

  • none

    MS (not bill gates personally) owns roughly 18m common shares of apple, out of the total float of 865m – that’s about 2%, no where near being a majority shareholder.

  • none

    MS (not bill gates personally) owns roughly 18m common shares of apple, out of the total float of 865m – that’s about 2%, no where near being a majority shareholder.

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  • http://www.bugra.net/ Buğra Gökalp Okçu

    It is not necessery for now, i guess. They should consider buying Yahoo! instead Apple. With that, they would be the biggest search service in the planet.

  • http://www.bugra.net Buğra Gökalp Okçu

    It is not necessery for now, i guess. They should consider buying Yahoo! instead Apple. With that, they would be the biggest search service in the planet.

  • Steve

    That would make it the GiPhone…

  • Steve

    That would make it the GiPhone…

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