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Or what about Sony? A deal with the Disney of consumer electronics would give Apple access to a distribution network that Jobs and Apple fanatics can only dream about. World domination, or at least a shot at double-digit market share, would be within reach. Sony would gain an edge on its margin-scraping competitors, the fruits of Apple's creative hothouse, and a devoted customer base in influential sectors like publishing and advertising. Not to mention that a deal with Apple could provide leverage against Microsoft's unrelenting attempts to make Sony one more manufacturing lackey.
Jobs, who has singled out Sony as worthy of praise, sat down several times last year with its CEO, Nobuyuki Idei, to discuss joint ventures. The talks didn't go far. Idei was reportedly impressed by Jobs' ideas but put off by his arrogance and scrapped the negotiations. Idei might want to schedule another meeting. In June, he faced a crowd of irate shareholders demanding to know how the company managed to lose almost $1 billion in the first three months of 2003.
Fact is, Idei needs a bold stroke, or his days are numbered. If Sony's up to the challenge of working with a quirky phenom, it could do worse than to adopt Apple. The formula for success is simple. Just give Jobs lots of room and a vastly expanded audience, then sit back and watch the hits keep on coming.
Now for the tricky part - convincing Steve Jobs to sell.
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/start.html?pg=2
I know that they have talked about a partnership/joint venture several times, would it be a good idea?
Sony could sure use the software developers of Apple and Apple the distribution channels of Sony, but would it work? Would both, Steve Jobs and Sony be happy?
Fredi