Apple buying Disney?

[Bete]

USA Today is starting this rumor. Is there any truth to it?

 

[wilkeliza]

Nope. Apple just has a ton of money sitting there right now and is the only company that might have a chance. Disney would have to be selling for Apple to buy and nothing seems that way. If this happened it would be kept pretty darn quite because they can't have share holders jumping ship before a sell. Disney is making way too much in profit as well to even consider selling.

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

I hope not because I'm pretty sure I remember reading somewhere that would be the first sign of the apocalypse.

 

[TomServo27]

I heard this rumor a while back I have no insight here but it just amazes me that apple has that much of hoard. I just googled it the first story that came up says apple has $246 billion mostly stashed overseas.

 

[wilkeliza]

I heard this rumor a while back I have no insight here but it just amazes me that apple has that much of hoard. I just googled it the first story that came up says apple has $246 billion mostly stashed overseas.

To me it is a sign that apple is no longer what it once was. It makes 0 sense for them to have that profit sitting there as liquid assets. Makes sense why other companies have now caught up to them. They could put half that money in research and development or heck paying your factory workers a little more and still have a ton left.

 

[Whatsthegoodword]

To me it is a sign that apple is no longer what it once was. It makes 0 sense for them to have that profit sitting there as liquid assets. Makes sense why other companies have now caught up to them. They could put half that money in research and development or heck paying your factory workers a little more and still have a ton left.

Exactly. ...and it's why I'm considering a PC for the first time in 20 years.

 

[DisneyLovingPreacher]

Disney would not allow a company such as Apple to buy them. Apple has been bad lately about innovating, actually they have stopped innovating. Disney knows this would be a death sentence for them, because while Universal builds, Apple would crush the innovation and progress of the Disney company

 

[Mattimation]

I feel like, if this were to happen, Disney would suddenly find they need to prove themselves to their old fans all over again. Apple is surely a powerhouse of a company, but lately everything they do seems to become immediate joke fodder. first the 100 dollar stylus, then the removal of the headphone jack in their phones just so they can sell adapters, and now the air-pods that complicate headphones more than they ever had to be. I'm really not sure of when the last time Apple introduced something that the majority of people responded to with "Oh wow, that's actually really cool." Perhaps this acquisition would have similar results to Disney's acquiring of Pixar, where Pixar leadership was put in charge of Disney Animation, and Imagineers would take charge of Apple product development. That could lead to some incredible things, but in my opinion, Apple buying Disney would result in diminished trust/belief in the Disney brand with no boost to Apple products.

Besides, just look at Disney's history. Their very first movie teaches us that any shiny Apple could be deadly.

 

[TomServo27]

Pete talks about the apple rumors.

 

[hakepb]

Disney would not allow a company such as Apple to buy them. Apple has been bad lately about innovating, actually they have stopped innovating. Disney knows this would be a death sentence for them, because while Universal builds, Apple would crush the innovation and progress of the Disney company

Disney is publically traded. Whoever buys the stock, owns the company.

If I had $300B+ in cash and wanted to offer $200/share for Disney stock (currently trading for $118) I, too, could probably own Disney.

The government is the only entity with a say, if there is an antitrust or other regulatory problem.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

This has been speculated off and on for years but there is no
Legitimate traction to it...

But more than apple could buy disney...why is there this perception that disney is "untouchable"?

It could be bought and sold 10 times over...and if the ransom was met the board would approve it in a heartbeat

The day will come.

 

[OldsDr]

from a purely theme park perspective what is Disney doing that is so great we would not want a different company in control?

Could it be worse than it is now, yes it could. Are we going to get to worse anyway? we will have to see how Pandora and Star wars play out.

I was against the Comcast buyout of Disney, but with what I see Universal doing over there I wonder if that was a shortsighted fan boy view on my part.

 

[peabody58]

I would love to see Apple sponsor some changes at Epcot, like the entire Innovations areas. Apple would get a foot in the door for a mere $1-2 billion, get great PR and Epcot would start to be great again. A Win/Win IMO.

 

[tjkraz]

To me it is a sign that apple is no longer what it once was. It makes 0 sense for them to have that profit sitting there as liquid assets.

Nearly all of the cash is sitting overseas with Apple unwilling to bring it into the US to avoid paying taxes. Recently there has been talk of the government granting a one-time tax holiday in hopes that businesses will finally bring this cash into the US and put it to work. Many other large companies are doing the same thing, albeit with smaller dollars involved.

IF Apple did acquire Disney...and it's a HUGE "IF"...it would be all about Disney's media empire. It wouldn't be about recapturing something Apple had allegedly lost...it would be about giving Apple something that it never had in the first place--ownership of movie, tv and music content, cable and broadcast networks, production facilities, distribution systems, etc.

Makes sense why other companies have now caught up to them. They could put half that money in research and development or heck paying your factory workers a little more and still have a ton left.

Apple didn't invent the home computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone. Their strength typically lies in taking existing ideas, improving upon them and giving them a shove into the mainstream. In recent years, look at how innovations like smartwatches, cashless payment systems, cloud storage and car integration were doing before and after the Apple Watch, ApplePay, iCloud and CarPlay.

Apple isn't without its warts...particularly in recent years. And I don't want to turn this into an Apple vs. Android vs. Windows vs. everyone else debate. Suffice it to say that not every Apple fan is a kool-aid drinking sycophant. As a techie who likes to tinker with things, Apple products can be a source of frustration. As a long-time IT professional who is often called upon to render support, Apple products are much easier to manage and troubleshoot than PC/Android.

 

[wilkeliza]

Nearly all of the cash is sitting overseas with Apple unwilling to bring it into the US to avoid paying taxes. Recently there has been talk of the government granting a one-time tax holiday in hopes that businesses will finally bring this cash into the US and put it to work. Many other large companies are doing the same thing, albeit with smaller dollars involved.

IF Apple did acquire Disney...and it's a HUGE "IF"...it would be all about Disney's media empire. It wouldn't be about recapturing something Apple had allegedly lost...it would be about giving Apple something that it never had in the first place--ownership of movie, tv and music content, cable and broadcast networks, production facilities, distribution systems, etc.



Apple didn't invent the home computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone. Their strength typically lies in taking existing ideas, improving upon them and giving them a shove into the mainstream. In recent years, look at how innovations like smartwatches, cashless payment systems, cloud storage and car integration were doing before and after the Apple Watch, ApplePay, iCloud and CarPlay.

Apple isn't without its warts...particularly in recent years. And I don't want to turn this into an Apple vs. Android vs. Windows vs. everyone else debate. Suffice it to say that not every Apple fan is a kool-aid drinking sycophant. As a techie who likes to tinker with things, Apple products can be a source of frustration. As a long-time IT professional who is often called upon to render support, Apple products are much easier to manage and troubleshoot than PC/Android.

Oh don't get me wrong I exclusively use Apple products except for 2 situations (work where I wasn't given a choice and embroidery as there is no good embroidery program for apple). I have an iPad Pro with the pencil, Apple Watch series 2, iPhone 7, and would have an apple tv if my tv wasn't a smart tv already. I still like Apple products because they just work. With that said I think they have stopped innovating or at least are working on projects that are so far out that it doesn't feel like they are doing much and I never said all Apple fans "drink the kool-aid" but I do think those billions in profit could be used to pay their factory workers livable wages. Profit is good but too much profit that isn't being put back into the business can also look bad form a finance perspective. Of course I work for an IT company that profit shares to even that out. When we make a ton of profit any employee that has been here more then 18 months makes a small share of said profit as an additional bonus so I'm all for my company making bank because the money doesn't just sit there for years.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

from a purely theme park perspective what is Disney doing that is so great we would not want a different company in control?

Could it be worse than it is now, yes it could. Are we going to get to worse anyway? we will have to see how Pandora and Star wars play out.

I was against the Comcast buyout of Disney, but with what I see Universal doing over there I wonder if that was a shortsighted fan boy view on my part.

I'm not quite as far along as you are...but I agree that this idea that "independent" disney is perfect is horribly outdated...

They have become a soulless, capricious company under iger just as Roy E warned about Eisner...

Doing things and asking "what's the MAXIMUM you'll pay for it?" at every turn...not providing value and confidence in the consumer that will secure the future...

So Comcast looked like a bad idea then...but since they have invested, learned, and frankly are more into creativity than their friends down I-4 these days...

Land of a 1,000 simulators for grandma

 

[tjkraz]

Apple is surely a powerhouse of a company, but lately everything they do seems to become immediate joke fodder.

You mean like the exploding Samsung phones, failed Amazon phones or Windows Vista/8? When Dell releases a dozen laptops per year and one happens to be a complete dumpster fire, nobody cares. Major players like Apple and Samsung are easier targets.

...first the 100 dollar stylus, then the removal of the headphone jack in their phones just so they can sell adapters, and now the air-pods that complicate headphones more than they ever had to be.

Microsoft charges $60 for their Surface stylus and it doesn't have rechargeable batteries. It's a bluetooth peripheral which interfaces with the OS, not just a plastic pointer.

The headphone adapter sells for $9. The motivation wasn't $$$, rather it was to free up space inside the handset and improve water resistance. It's still a debatable move but other manufacturers have already followed suit. Right now many people still have a plethora of wired headphones and ear buds. Given the emergence of wireless technology, check back in 3-5 years and see where we are.

As for the Air Pods, they aren't for me but they've received impressive reviews. Not really sure how they've made headphones more complicated.

I'm really not sure of when the last time Apple introduced something that the majority of people responded to with "Oh wow, that's actually really cool."

True innovation is tough. That's why world-alterning tech advances don't come along on a daily basis. Every year we see dozens of new laptop and desktop PC designs, dozens of new tablets, dozens of new smartphones. Each of them may tweak the formula a bit but how often do any of them innovate?

...I do think those billions in profit could be used to pay their factory workers livable wages.

A sentiment that is often voiced in relation to Disney and its workers.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

A sentiment that is often voiced in relation to Disney and its workers.

This statement is often ignored in the disney holier than thou rhetoric...

Disney pays minimum wage for almost everything...less for college serfs...and sweatshop wages in their overseas factories...

It really is a beautiful glass house, isn't it?

 

[wilkeliza]

A sentiment that is often voiced in relation to Disney and its workers.

What are Disney's liquid assets? They are only worth in total what Apply has in liquid assets. Again it isn't profits that I had any problem with it was profits that sit there. I can't say how much Disney has just sitting there in a bank.

 

[hakepb]

from a purely theme park perspective what is Disney doing that is so great we would not want a different company in control?

Could it be worse than it is now, yes it could. Are we going to get to worse anyway? we will have to see how Pandora and Star wars play out.

I was against the Comcast buyout of Disney, but with what I see Universal doing over there I wonder if that was a shortsighted fan boy view on my part.

Some companies are bought to split up and/or extract more profit, so I think there is a general reluctance to change.

It's also easier to make a business case for Universal expansion. Build new hotel(s), a new water park and add a few more e-tickets and that will grow the gate by +25%.

Do that same expansion in WDW and it may not mean as much increased sales.