Who Should Microsoft Buy Next?

Darthbobcat

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Background:

Microsoft, like other high margin tech companies (Google, Apple, etc) has very large overseas cash hordes. These can't be repatriated to the US without incurring a large tax burden, so these companies deploy them in various ways. Recently, Microsoft bought Mojang, the makers of Minecraft, for 2 Billion dollars, as an example.

The Question: If you were in charge of Microsoft, what non-US companies would you acquire? Go nuts, I wanna see what people come up with!
 

Darthbobcat

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Vimeo's a good one. It seems to be the most well regarded video service aside from YouTube.

I should throw my hat in the ring, since I started things rolling. Here are my top (most likely stupid) suggestions.

1) Blackberry (for the monopoly play. Buy 'em up, strip out what they want, shut 'em down.) It seems unlikely that the Canadian government would allow that.
2) Ubisoft (pretty cheap market cap these days, since they're struggling a bit. They might even be bought for the same price as Mojang. Would give them a good mix of gaming IP to boost Xbox and Windows 10, and give 'em more cross platform presence).
 

Darthbobcat

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Oh, got one. The smartphone and tablet arm of a Japanese Android OEM, like Sony, Kyocera or Sharp. Based on conversations with people who worked in Japan, Japanese consumers are VERY reluctant to buy anything not made by a Japanese company, unless your company name is Apple.
 

JM_T

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I'm sorry I brought the silliness from the last thread to here.... But hey, maybe one day MSFT buys an appliance company and manufacture smart appliances. A smart fridge for that Twinkie, perhaps? Anyone seen CBS's Extant with Halle Berry playing around with the 'internet of everything'? She did that swipe-throw gesture to show a picture on a fridge. That gesture is similar to the Surface Table (Not tablet, but the dev. device Microsoft has shown in tech shows before but hasn't released yet). The pervasiveness of MSFT's product placement in that show is through the roof! They had a house with a virtual assistant, Gina, an allusion to Cortana perhaps? And their bathroom smart mirrors have that Metro/Modern interface look. Not to mention the Surface Tablets...

Back on-topic:
I could see MSFT becoming that kind of company with a product powering a real smart home/building/office. They'd have to start gobbling up some companies to develop that product and tell OEM's "See, you can do this and that with our product!" They could start off with Roku and Garmin. With Roku, they can acquire the content distribution platform already in place, and just port it to that home PC-media-center-on-a-stick. As for Garmin, two words: wearable tech.

TL;DR:
I go back go reiterating my desire for Microsoft to gobble up Roku and Garmin...
 
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wasim sallam

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google, apple and even facebook, are buying a lot of "Tech" companies.
this makes their products better more.
Microsoft should do the same.
 

tgp

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But hey, maybe one day MSFT buys an appliance company and manufacture smart appliances.

It wouldn't be a first! Awhile ago I was shopping for a new clothes dryer. The two models that caught my eye at the store were a Samsung and an LG. I found it somewhat humorous because at the time my wife had a Samsung phone and I had an LG! I ended up getting the Samsung, and my wife loves it.
 

Darthbobcat

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There IS a small part of my that says "Microsoft, BE THE ONE TO FINALLY BUY T-MOBILE. End Deutch Telecom's years of trying to get rid of it!"
 

Greywolf1967

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Haha! Started an exactly similar thread before: http://forums.windowscentral.com/ge...on/265497-microsoft-fantasy-acquisitions.html

The suggestions were:
Roku
Garmin
(Google)
Tesla
Ford
HTC
Gameloft
Dailymotion
Vimeo
aaaannnnddd... Hostess/Twinkies!

Tesla ????
It would seem like a good idea, however the rumor was not to long ago Apple look to acquire the Upstart Car Company. Change out the Center Dash display with an iPad.
I was a fan of Tesla until about a month ago, when the world was told of the underhanded way they are dealing with people who buy Tesla wrecks from a scrap yard.
Covered from any legal action by a person who buys what is classed as a "Wreck", or a car that is deemed salvage by insurance, Tesla is calling up said cars once bought from a scrap yard and entering a kill command. They will only reactivate the car once it is fixed and inspected by Tesla's own safety crew.
This is indeed a violation and an abuse of power on their part!!!!

It is equal to GM not letting some who owns a Chevy Chevette drop in a 305 or 350ci V8, even though the car was originally a 4 cylinder motor.

Think I am fibbing here...in the long run this may come down to a legal battle headed up by a guy I watch weekly. They convert old and older style cars into modern EV's, any way 1 of the few blog posts.....Jack's Blog and Video site

I have lost alot of respect for Tesla since this came up.

I don't think Microsoft should ever look to partner with a company who does not play fair.
 

Darthbobcat

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Thinking again about my thoughts on trying to get help in the Japanese market, maybe instead of buying out a maker of Android Tablets and Phones, maybe instead pick one out and give them a preferred relationship like Nokia had?

Probably wouldn't be able to replicate the whole "exclusively Windows" thing, but you COULD probably get them to commit to a certain number of Windows phones and tablets specifically for the Japanese market, in exchange for financial support.
 

Jazmac

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I think this is something MS should buy Space Glasses
it's like MS kinect.
I thinking I agree with you. If the developers of this and MS could produce really great, functional apps to use this with, which include the likeness of Cortana when you summon her, that would be worth the investment. That would be great to put these on and call to Cortana to show you say, the month of November 2014 and have it display a wall calendar along with moving graphics for your events. A dog barking at you for vet day. A birthday cake with candles burning. Palm trees swaying for the week you are on vacation. Some dollar signs falling from the sky on payday. Stuff like that.

But the point is, there has to be a compelling reason to own a device like this and for developers to feel like they can sink their fangs into developing for it. But I like it wasim. Could be the next big thing. Call them Cortana Wear.

The advertizing and entertainment potential with this might be something too. I could see Rubino doing a video demo of a new Surface Flagship phone but with Cortana wear, you'd see countless related objects in the Vimeo video. (also owned by Microsoft)
 

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