Earlier this morning Sun Microsystems (NSDQ:JAVA) announced a restructuring of their software business and a layoff of 5,000 to 6,000 employees. CRN has a nice article covering the announcement.
Of course this lead me to pondering the state of Sun Microsystems in the current economy. Once again this lead me down the road I’ve been advocating for some time., that Apple (NSDQ:AAPL) should acquire Sun. I dare say I believe i heard half the IT would gasp in exasperation at this statement. The other sound I heard came from the devote Apple elite. However both camps please consider the following.
If there were ever two companies who’s product lines were more complimentary I honestly can’t see it. The acquisition of Sun would propel Apple into the business systems stratosphere. Well that is compared to where they are currently. Although Apple does manage to make fantastic products taping into the pulse of the general consumer that capture the imagination evangelists and detractors alike, they have yet to make any solid inroads into the business community. As stylish as the Xservers and Xraids are they continue to live out thier lives relegated to the realm of the artist.
Sun on the other hand has failed time and again to capture anyhting but the heart of corporate America. Business deployments of Sun’s product far our number the similar products from Apple. On the flip side of that coin Sun’s attempts at capturing the laptop and workstation markets have floundered and fallen completely away.
Yet another assest in the Sun closet is their storage systems. Consider that Apple has nearly abandoned their own storage products is another sign that they haven’t been able to garner enough business clientele to maintain the line. A Sun acquisition would change that game instantly.
Let us also contemplate one major sinergy both company’s are purveyors of UNIX based operating systems. Therefore it is entirely concievable that their product lines could become effectively intertwined seemingly over night. Further both company’s have an open source fan base.
Ok so were Apple to buy Sun, then they would have a farily well rounded product base, and honestly that would leave only one area of consumer technology left for them to dominate. This is where I feel an acquisition of Nitendo would make astoundly great sense. To be honest doesn’t the Wii already look Appleesq? Imagine if you will what would happen if Apple got a hold of this technology and mereged it with the Apple TV.
Obviously this is just me thinking out loud and I am just having fun with the possibilities. Finally I don’t konw if Apple has the resources to actually make good on the thoughts presented here. Regardless of wether or not any of there were to become a reality I think it’s good speculative fun to consider the possibilities.
Hopefully you’ve enjoyed all of this speculation, and what the hell it could happen…