December 10, 2013: Keith Fitz-Gerald, a market analyst with Money Map Press, predicted that Apple and Microsoft could merge in the next 5-10 years. It, of course, didn’t happen. And at the time, I asked, “What’s in it for Apple?
According to The Times of India, Fitz-Gerald said the “unthinkable but absolutely possible deal” would/could happen so that Apple/Microsoft (Applesoft? MicroApple?) could take on Google’s Android and Facebook. He said that if you look at “What Apple wants to accomplish with its mobile market and Microsoft’s initiative, there’s a cross-polarization of devices.”
At the time — and remember this was almost seven years ago): I can see what’s in it for Microsoft. Its Kin phone, Zune media player, and Surface tablets have bombed. Windows still thrives on desktops, but the mobile version hasn’t gained a lot of traction.
But what’s in it for Apple? The company certainly doesn’t want any form of Windows; OS X and iOS are doing just fine, thank you. Apple doesn’t need any of the hardware that the Redmond company makes. And our favorite tech company seems capable of doing battle with the Android OS all on its on.
There’s just no logical reason for Apple and Microsoft to merge. Now if Apple were to buy Microsoft and discontinue all its software and hardware products, that would be a different story ….
