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While this might be an interesting idea I think there are a few significant problems.

First Sony and Apple have totally different approaches to the business they are in and the overlap in key areas is too great. Apple would be reluctant to take over a business that competed on too many fronts as the end result could only be compromise in order to keep the stock holders happy.

Second there are better targets that would expand Apples range and aid in penetrating markets where Apple is not too strong. I am thinking of Sun. They are major server and data centre backbone manufacturers, hold significant IP, are well within Apple's price range and would instantly gain Apple significant corporate client base. There may even be some synergies to a possible merger of OSX and Solaris as server operating systems. Both are Unix, both are powerful, both have features the other doesn't. To me it makes sense.

What do you guys reckon?

Cheers

NO WAY is this a good idea.

A key to Apple's strategy over the past decade has been avoiding "commodity" markets where the players live and die on price, and creating parallel or totally new "lifestyle" markets where products win on the basis of user experience (including how it fits into the user's lifestyle).

With the possible exception of the PS3, which has has its own set of problems, almost none of Sony's consumer electronics products play in these markets, much less succeed there. TVs and stereos is the LAST thing Apple wants to get into, because guess what that whole market is about? One giant price war. Let Dell or someone else bleed cash in these markets so they can pretend they're "growing" or "diversifying"; Apple doesn't need it.

Sny? No. Buying Sony BMG would be a coup for iTunes content and marketing clout, but that's not part of the Sony package AFAIK. The only thing buying Sony would do for Apple is give them a chance at the market in Japan; something Apple is desperately trying to improve. However these type of moves are always fraught with folly as the loyal brand consumer ultimately knows when their favourite company has been sold out. Would a loyal Ford fan buy one if GM bought them out?

WND word: Larger - as in larger isn't always better. Apple is better off to grow themselves and let Sony wallow.

Terrible idea. There are too many things Sony has as products that would have to be sold off to make this work, and then, what would be the point?

Number one is their PC business. Unless Apple were to retail that, and I don't see why, as it would be the same company, they would have to have OS X run on them.

The second would be the music and movie businesses. Despite what some people think, Apple can't be a reseller of all content while owning some of the bigger companies producing it. Other companies look askance at that.

There are quite a few other products that simply don't fit within Apple's purview. Do we want Apple producing alarm clocks?