Not a new issue, but I just stumbled on this 2008 suggestion. Someone else can see the synergies.

Graham

That would be wonderful! Maybe the Mac would finally have a Blu-Ray player and an HDMI port, and Bang & Olufsen would be more technologically up-to-date. Both sides win!

LOL

vikinger:

Not a new issue, but I just stumbled on this 2008 suggestion. Someone else can see the synergies.

This is one of those crazy subjects that rears it's head over and over and, quite frankly, isn't thought through at all

Simply put: why would they? Apple are a computer and phone manufacturer with lots of patents and an advanced R&D department covering the areas of their business. Probably one of the best in the business.

B&O have a tiny R&D department, develop few of their own technologies that Apple would require, have almost zero patents and their speciality is getting the best picture from off-the-shelf components and turning other people's tech in to something very sexy. That's about it, quite frankly.

Since when do companies such as Apple buy in to a completely different business model - one losing money - just 'for the sake of it'. It sounds more like a question my 9-year-old nephew would ask me "I have a solution, Apple have loads of spare cash, why don't they buy B&O?". Doh.

Maybe we should start a "Should Apple buy B&O" or "Should B&O buy Apple" forum.

We can also put all the "why doesn't B&O work better with Apple" threads in it!

 

Should tidy the General forum up a bit!

"Why doesn't Apple buy B&O? "

What a horrible thought..........

/riis

It would be a disaster!

If Apple did buy  B&O,  B&O would become a 'boutique' brand within the Apple portfolio but it is inlikely that it would retain it's independence. They would be most likely to retain design and marketing in house, but outsource manufacturing to China like Bose do now with their Audio products.

 

Puncher:

Maybe we should start a "Should Apple buy B&O" or "Should B&O buy Apple" forum.

We can also put all the "why doesn't B&O work better with Apple" threads in it!

 

Should tidy the General forum up a bit!

  My thoughts too.

If B&O share price keeps falling and the company still needs investment funds and is losing sales, a take-over by somebody is inevitable [or the company goes under.]

I'd rather it be the likes of Apple. If someone thought that this was a good idea in mid 2008, financially its now a much better idea in 2010. 

Graham

EDIT Apple >$30billion cash reserves. B&O circa $400million market value???

Although many still see Apple as a company making niche "premium" products, Apple itself does not see itself that way and they are trying to push as many product as they can into our hands.

Associating themselves with B&O would reinforce this image that they are trying to get rid of.

I actually think that Apple will eventually kill B&O. Apple has all the technology to make a digital Masterlink type distribution technology. When they have made products that compete with B&O (Apple TV/Beomedia1, iPhone/Serenata, iPod/Beosound6), Apple beats B&O on some of its own strong points: useability and design.

Apple could very easily make a TV that would look just as elegant as some B&O.

The only domain where I do not see them competing with B&O is speakers.

Apple taking over B&O will never happen and I don't see any good coming from that anyways.

However, one thought is that maybe B&O should hire Jonathan Ive (Apple's designer) to 'rethink' their design policy.
At least he is someone who has a product vision and good sense of combining (computer) technology and user interaction.  

Just an idea.

We do have a B&O / Mac forum, 

shall i move these Apple / B&O related topics to that forum ?

 

 

Ignace:

We do have a B&O / Mac forum, 

shall i move these Apple / B&O related topics to that forum ?

I don't think moving threads does any good after they've started rolling... those who would like to follow them get lost, and those who usually only read through the "Not read" feature (like me) wouldn't notice any difference anyway.

cooldude:

Apple taking over B&O will never happen and I don't see any good coming from that anyways.

However, one thought is that maybe B&O should hire Jonathan Ive (Apple's designer) to 'rethink' their design policy.
At least he is someone who has a product vision and good sense of combining (computer) technology and user interaction.  

Just an idea.

Jonathan Ive has about 4 more years on his current contract with Apple.  There is no way B&O could pay his salary.  His stock options are probably worth more than B&O's total value.