Apple Inc (AAPL)

[Tex]

acquisitions

Given Apple's recent activity to build suites of speciality tools to address needs for high-end niches in which Apple hopes to take share, one might view a medical data management company and ADBE's medical image handling tools as complements and decide to like both ideas. I don't actually know much about how medical images are handled electronically, though, and whether they get much manipulation. I also don't know much about the premium Apple would be forced to shell out to acquire ADBE.

As for Apple being a software company ... it's s sure thing that what separates Apple from other computer manufacturers is software -- but what separates it from most of the software houses is the hardware. And Jobs has been caught more than once talking about how Apple is all about the box. I find it interesting that Apple can claim to be targeting consumers and avoiding enterprise while building a top-notch rack-mounted server and a high-capacity RAID array and deploying SAN software for connecting huge storage to users across fast networks. I think apple must be building enterprise capacity (if only because it is itself an enterprise with internal demand), and has got to be looking down the road to how to market it (surely they intend selling this stuff ...?).

So, what acquisitions will set Apple up to push into this market? Does Apple need to learn something about high-demand storage environments from film business before trying to expand? What will we be able to tell from the outside about its marketing of film the clip database handling software it bought last year?

Speaking of last year, I remember a nasty lull during the spring while folks sat back, newsless, and watched while the shares wilted. This feels like deja vu all over again.

When the big subprime vendors start writing down losses caused by failed hedging counterparties, things will heat up in nastiness. Any bets?

Take care,
--Tex.