Not many of you care that Apple
Your argument -- a good one, I think -- is that management has proven itself capable of delivering strong returns for shareholders. Why should any of us think we're smarter than Apple CEO Steve Jobs?
Playing the value game
"Perhaps there isn't strong enough value in the acquisitions they are looking at right now?" wrote Fool Turfscape in a comment to my last story about Apple's cash position.
He further points out that Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway held $40 billion for years before deciding to buy shares of General Electric
Turfscape's test is simple: "Do the acquisitions make sense, and are they a good value? If not, sit on that hoard."
Apple would do well to heed this advice in normal times, but these aren't normal times. Jobs' comments about Google
And that changes everything.
Now's the time to stockpile weapons
According to Wired, in a "Town Hall" meeting with employees, Jobs expressed disdain for the Nexus One, calling it Google's attempt to kill the iPhone. He also allegedly expressed doubt about the veracity of The Big G's "Don't Be Evil" slogan.
Jobs also attacked Adobe, calling the company lazy, and accusing it of forgoing opportunities to do interesting work, Wired reports. He referred to the company's Flash technology as "buggy," Wired's sources said. (He may be right.)
Fighting words like these make clear that there's a war coming, and from it one premier take-anywhere platform for manipulating, delivering, and consuming content will emerge. Almost everyone has a stake, but Apple and Google have more to lose. (Note: A mockup of a Google alternative to the iPad made its way to the Web as this story was being filed.)
Adobe, meanwhile, has some of the best-known, most-used tools for creating and viewing content, including Photoshop, AIR, Adobe Reader, and, of course, Flash.
Apple leads because its engineers excel at hardware design, and it's hardware that makes digital delivery pleasing or cumbersome. Acquisitions should be aimed at enhancing Apple's capabilities in this area.
1. The solid state of Apple
Aside from the drive makers themselves, few companies have taken to solid-state drives (SSD) faster than Apple has. And for good reason: SSD technology is typically lighter, consumes less power, is faster, and more durable.
There aren't many places to save power if you're designing hardware. The chipset is one. The drive is another. Apple has already redesigned chips with technology acquired from PA Semi. Wouldn't it make sense for Apple to buy an SSD supplier next?
I like STEC
2. Batteries should be included
When Jobs unveiled the iPad last week, he spent ample time discussing the device's 10 hours of battery life. Low power consumption surely has a lot to do with this. But Apple could do better. It could reinvent the battery, or acquire the technology required to do so.
Picking a candidate here isn't easy. A123 Systems is more focused on the automotive industry than it is consumer electronics. The good news? There are at least a dozen worthy start-ups trying to reinvent power delivery, including Boston-Power and SEEO, which is creating a solid-state battery.
3. How about a place for all that data?
Finally, let's talk data. If Jobs' strategy for the iPad is to have it be a window to the world's greatest content, then Apple needs a bulletproof mechanism for delivering bits.
Jobs isn't likely to trust an outside vendor for this task, not even Akamai
Those are my ideas. Think I'm wrong? Have other ideas for Apple acquisitions? Let's hear 'em. Make your voice heard using the comments box below.
