Topic: Tim Cook visits Nintendo

Just a link as tom cook visits Nintendo

https://9to5mac.com/2016/10/12/tim-cook-visits-japan-nintendo...

I doubt it but a commenter wrote this on seeking alpha ... possible?

Rebooter wrote:
There's a reason for the emphasis on iOS. There's a reason for the high profile presence at the iPhone 7 launch event.

The math is straightforward. $15 billion buys a 30% stake in Nintendo (at a 50% premium), a company with one of the most desirable IP content portfolios this side of Disney.

$15 billion represents roughly 7% of Apple's cash horde. With virtually no impact to the balance sheet you own a significant stake in an invaluable IP catalog and, oh by the way, have an entrée into consumer gaming hardware. Which, oh by the way, dovetails nicely with development of your next generation television experience.

I would not be surprised in the slightest to see an announcement before the end of the year, possibly as early as this quarter, once both companies are outside their quiet periods.

@arrmixer I realise I and O are adjacent on a standard keyboard, but the frequency I see people write Tom when it should be Tim is making me wonder if they're officially interchangeable and I didn't get the memo.

@gcunit
Oops 🙊 fix it thank you!

So is this a stealth 'Apple to buy Nintendo' thread?

Because it seems like it, and it's a dumb thing to speculate in the current moment.

I doubt Apple is buying Nintendo. Why? They cant. Trade laws stop that.

Besides Nintendo moving ownership into even more draconian ways? Im good thanks. Theres a walled garden and then theres North Korea.

Buying a company and buying a stake in the company are two different circumstances.. additionally which trade laws are you referring too @BLPs?

@arrmixer I recall Japan has laws in place that prevent buyouts of Japanese firms by non native firms. Basically a waybto keep japanese companies there for their economy.

Wouldn't surprise me. I don't recall a Japanese company bought internationally.

However, I don't see any evidence that talks about some stake buyout. Cook could just as easily talk to Nintendo about a mobile partnership.

@BLPs
Hm makes sense Japan is Japan in that respect. Apple buying a stake in Nintendo to leverage nintendo's IP and Nintendo to leverage apple's IOS/cash/hardware is still plausible.
Even if the law didn't exist a complete buyout would make no sense whatsoever.

@TheLZdragon
Right in the least that has come to fruition. Again this is just speculation but a face to face always opens up to more possibilities whether or not those ideas become reality is another story.

Despite how visible they are in the marketplace, people seem to forget the fact that Apple only has around 20-25% of the global market share when it comes to the mobile device/smartphone/tricorder market. It would not necessarily be in the best business interests of Nintendo to engage in such deal, which would almost certainly involve an exclusivity-deal (permanent, not timed) with the iOS platform.

Also, just a minor point — but 7%, though it may seem small, from a business perspective is in no way a small amount when discussing a company's "cash horde" or expendable capital/resources. So yes, Apple does have the ability, but to expend that much for something that the company wouldn't even have real control over (i.e., the Nintendo IPs) isn't exactly the best business decision (compare Disney's purchases of Marvel and Lucasfilm, which were much more extensive and still viewed as potentially risky investments despite the mountains of cash available to Disney and the near-guaranteed marketplace viability of the Marvel & Lucasfilm properties).

Heck, the only risky things from Marvel were the cesspool of contracts they made and the poor decisions they were taking before Disney took over. I'd say Disney fixed most of those issues

@the_shpydar
Don't confuse market share with revenue. Apple customers pay more/spend more for their apps than android users do. In addition, apple has way to much cash to not at least make an attempt to get a return greater than 1%.
Now yes apple can't buy Nintendo vs what Disney did with marvel. But IMO Disney did marvel a favor. Marvel has brought out a consistent product since Disney took over the reigns. And marvel was a mess financially i believe before Disney stepped in...
either way good points I'm curious to see what actually happens with this relationship

I've been saying nx could very well be an ios controller.

Nintendo games only playable with the Nintendo controller.

Apple has the hardware game down and locked long term. Nintendo has the software game down and running.

There's no way these two aren't going to get involved somehow.