Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.

Stop the Noiz

Why Apple Should Buy Dell

Frank Fox - 2008.11.24 - Tip Jar

Popularity:

Bookmark in del.icio.us

Almost everyone knows that Apple is sitting on a huge pile of cash, around $24.5 billion. That might be enough to fill one of Scrooge McDuck's cash vaults, but there have to be some other interesting things to do with that much money.

While feeling depressed about how low the value of Apple stock has fallen recently (below $90 per share), I checked out some other companies that are falling due to the same economic worries. There I saw the perfect company that is finally cheap enough that Apple can buy the whole thing: Dell.

That's right, Dell has a market capitalization of only $18.55 billion. Apple can buy it and still have money left over.

Current Dell valuation

Before you go and say that I'm crazy, ask yourself what could Apple do with Dell.

First off, there is the total shock value it would have on the PC market and Microsoft - but at the same time Apple and Dell combined are not large enough to be considered a monopoly in the market. HP, Toshiba, Acer, Sony, etc. would still account for around 75% of the market. However, it would be large enough to muster incredible dominance without appearing that way on paper.

Second, Apple has needed an enterprise strategy for decades. Adding Dell would put Apple into corporations all around the world. IT managers would be buying Dell branded computers from Apple - either these narrow-minded drones would keep buying the same way they have for the last decade, or they'd have to do some real price shopping for a change. I'm betting on inertia having the greater strength.

Third, Apple would have another brand that it could use for selling low spec PC with Mac OS X installed without diluting its own brand value. The cheap stuff is labeled Dell, and everyone knows what to expect, while the higher tier PCs (over $1,000) get the Apple sticker. Apple can still draw in the more affluent crowd while using Dell to provide for the rest.

That's what I call picking up the pennies under the seat cushion.

fourth, the irony of the deal would be unmistakable.

Then again, Apple could just wait a few more months and buy Dell when it drops below $5 a share, saving a few billion to spend on more important things - like HP (currently $87 billion) or Sony ($40 billion).

Recent Stop the Noiz Columns

iPad Score Card, 01.29. Apple's iPad is almost everything expected, but there are areas where it comes up short.
Making the Computer Even More Personal, 01.25. Portability and wireless networking make computing on the go easier and more personal than ever.
Apple Saves Everyone Money, 01.21. Before the iPod and the iTunes Store, CD prices were increasing. Now they're on the decline, but still not as low as iTunes prices.
Toshiba Passes Apple in Unit Sales, Not Profits, 01.15. Toshiba saw a remarkable 71% growth in unit sales to pass Apple for the #4 spot in the US market, but Apple is far more profitable.
More in the Stop the Noiz index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: 'WallStreet' PowerBook G3, May 1998 - WallStreet offered 3 screen sizes and CPU speeds from 233 to 292 MHz.
Group of the Day: Mac UK is for Mac users in the United Kingdom.
February 9 in LEM history: 00: Think choices - Promoting the Macintosh - 01: Apple vs. Mac clones - 05: Apple and the $100 laptop - Yojimbo - Core Duo vs. G5 - 07: The story behind After Dark - Microsoft Office 2007
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, 02.02. Used 2 GHz, $700; 2.4, $999; refurb 2.53, $1,449; 2.8, $1,699; 3.06, $2,199; new 2.53, $1,610; 2.66, $1,839; 2.8, $2,109; 3.06, $2,550; more.
Best G3 iMac Deals, 02.02. 500 MHz CD-ROM, $40; 450 MHz DVD-ROM, $60; 600 MHz CD-ROM, $230 shipped; 700 MHz CD-RW, $300 shipped.
Best eMac Deals, 02.02. 1 GHz SuperDrive, $269; 1.25 Combo, $100; SD, $360; 1.42 GHz Combo, $299; SD, $439.
Best Mac mini Deals, 02.01. Used 1.25 GHz G4 Combo, $369; 1.5, $399; Core Solo, $399; 1.83 GHz Core Duo SD, $439; new 2.26 GHz nVidia, $580; 2.53 GHz, $759; Server, $985.
Best iBook G4 Deals, 02.01. 12" 1.07 GHz Combo, $200; 1.33 GHz, $259; 14" 1.42 GHz SuperDrive, $399.
Best Titanium PowerBook G4 Deals, 02.01. 800 MHz Combo, $285; 867 MHz SuperDrive, $400; 1 GHz Combo, $549.
Best 13" MacBook & MacBook Pro Deals, 01.29. Used 1.83 GHz, $570; 2.0, $599; 2.4 GHz, $800; 2.26 MB, $849; new, $925 after rebate; Pro, $1,108, 2.53, $1,399 a/r.
Best Power Mac G5 Deals, 01.29. 1.8 GHz single, $399; dual, $479; 2.0, $549; 2.5, $609; 2.7, $799; 2.3 GHz dual-core, $709; 2.5 GHz Quad, $939.
Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 Deals, 01.29. Mac OS X 10.0, $30; 10.1, $20; 10.2, $50; 10.3, $50; 10.3 Server, unlimited users, $130.
More deals in our archive.

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2010 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.