Jobs: What’s Adobe’s Market Cap, Again?
by John Paczkowski
Posted on October 21, 2008 at 6:07 PM PT
With $25 billion in cash and short-term securities stored away on its balance sheet, Apple (AAPL) is in a uniquely comfortable position from which to weather the econalypse. And perhaps a uniquely opportunistic one, as well. According to CEO Steve Jobs, anyway. To wit: Jobs’s comments Tuesday about Apple’s cash reserves what it might do with them.
We have almost $25 billion safely in the bank and zero debt. This provides us tremendous stability and the ability to invest our way through this downturn. This is what we did during the last downturn–we increased R&D investments and created some of our best new products and businesses, like the Apple retail stores, for one. This downturn may also present some extraordinary opportunities for companies that have the cash to take advantage of them, like Apple does.”
What was that again?
“This downturn may also present some extraordinary opportunities for companies that have the cash to take advantage of them, like Apple does.”
Sanford Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi noted that remark as well and followed up on it during the Q&A. “Steve, you mentioned a couple of times that you thought there were extraordinary opportunities for companies with cash,” he said. “I think you could hire almost every engineer in Silicon Valley on a lifetime employment contract and not really dent that significant cash horde that you have. When you made that statement, are you suggesting that there are significant opportunities for Apple outside of Apple, specifically in terms of acquiring companies?”
Jobs’s reply: “I just meant exactly what I said, which is I think there’s going to be some significant opportunities.”
Could this mean that Apple is considering an acquisition–a major acquisition? It’s hard to say, but the fact that Jobs dropped such a hint at all is certainly interesting. Perhaps it’s time for that long-rumored merger with Adobe (ADBE).
Incidentally, Adobe’s market cap is $14.65 billion. …
Comments
I have trouble seeing how Adobe helps them that much. The two companies already work together pretty well. Combined they would immediately present a “challenge” to Microsoft, but not a very formidable one, since MS has a few alternatives to Adobe technology in the works.
When Apple switched to Intel processors Jobs used the word “roadmap” about a thousand times.
The question remains: what is Apple’s roadmap? Do they really have one and it’s a well kept secret, or is Jobs lost right now and like most of us guys refuses to stop and ask for directions?
Posted by Mac Beach at October 21st, 2008 at 8:48 pmWith all that cash Apple should invest in creating a mobile content company, like games and short movies for the iphone and the ipod touch, buying Adobe could make sense, but right now Apple is in the position to create better graphic applications without investing $14 billions.
I really believe that a gaming unit inside or outside Apple could benefit even more than we could estimate and now that Apple is pitching the iPod Touch as a gaming mobile device, this is the right move at the right time and of course cheaper.
Posted by frank guillen at October 22nd, 2008 at 9:25 amyahoo is on sale…
kidding
Posted by darren cross at October 22nd, 2008 at 11:05 amAFA Microsoft and “alternatives in the works”, well, Windows 7 is “in the works” too. However, the same issue will hound MS that would hound Apple should it decide to reinvent that particular wheel: the installed base.
If you think it’s difficult to get a legion of users off Microsoft Office, for example, to use OpenOffice (and it’s free!), imagine the difficulty (and expense, and time, and distraction to the marketplace) that an effort to displace many of Adobe’s creative applications would take, and THEN take into account the temperament of the folks who use those apps. These people (of which I occasionally consider myself as well) do not take to change gladly. On top of that further, you have the implied expense to replace $1000+ application suites, both in terms of already expended money and new “investment” in tools.
No, I don’t see Apple directly challenging Adobe across the board, and I suspect Microsoft will face a tough time with it.
As to the almost ever-present rumor of Apple and Adobe, I’m sure there are scenarios where it makes sense, but if it happens, it will hardly be predictable. A move like that would probably be hyper-aggressive in order to kick the legs out from under Windows in the creative space.
Money for games for iPhone/iPod Touch? KPCB’s iFund. (http://www.kpcb.com/initiatives/ifund/index.html)
Money for games for the Mac OS? Maybe a pittance (compared to the war chest) here or there, but I wouldn’t expect Apple to become a full-blown publisher. Now, an iTunes-like store for apps for the Mac OS? That might be interesting…
Ultimately, I think the war chest will be to fill a gap that may not even be recognized on the outside yet.
FWIW, YMMV, IMHO, all that. I haven’t followed Apple nearly as closely as I have in the past, but even with the apparent “new, open” Apple, I strongly doubt the use of billions will be telegraphed directly.
Posted by Brad Brighton at October 22nd, 2008 at 1:35 pm