Apple in Talks With McLaren Technology on Acquisition: FT - Bloomberg Not surprised that apple is trying to buy a car company, but McLaren...
This will be great as long as they don't go for electric cars, because I would hate to have to replace the battery every few years…T
I personally think it's a bad idea. The two cultures and products are too different. For sure Apple will want them to turn into a mainstream automaker like Tesla. Rumor has it Apple has been winding down their own "car" idea in the past few months. I'm sure Apple would want the brand, the engineering and infrastructure for their own uses. They certainly aren't interested in selling 6000 sports cars a year. And I can't see them placing F1 racing on their highest priority of spending as it is now. One the good side the McLaren name will continue. On the bad side Silicon Valley will be calling the shots. Worst of all in two years Tim Cook will do his Steve Jobs imitation of wearing a Tshirt and standing in front of black screen show off the all electric McLaren ICar charged by a lighting cable. Image Unavailable, Please Login
McLaren is much more than their cars. http://www.mclaren.com/appliedtechnologies/ This is probably what they'd be most interested in.
Sorry.... Apple blows away anything Mac is involved in when it comes to tech Apple wants to make cars. Its cheaper to buy a car company and it's engineering staff than create one from scratch. Tech does this all the time. They buy companies or someone else's technology or patents, take what they want and discard the rest. They work like Aliens in Independence Day. Apple will put the F1 team under the arm of their advertising group. The bean counters will evaluate how many eyeballs view McLaren cars vs how much they spend on the team. Anyone who has watched Silicon Valley knows it's more like a reality show than satire. Meet Ron Denis' replacement Image Unavailable, Please Login
I hope the deal doesn't go through. Even with foreign owners, I considered McLaren to be a British car company. But if Apple takes over, their influence could completely change the ethos in Woking.
If this happens forget about any sort of new innovation coming from mclaren. In the future presentation Tim Cook will stand there and say: "The new mclaren! We have innovated the car world. It now has a steering wheel with buttons on it"
What a dumb statement. Apple doesn't have fraction of the experience McLaren has in automotive technology and expertise. That's like saying Apple blows away Intel in fab technology, or blows away GE when it comes to locomotive. News flash: Apple doesn't research everything in the world. Just because they are big and have a lot of money doesn't mean they are so great at everything technology related. Like you just said, they buy a ton of the technology they use. McLaren just denied the rumor anyway McLaren denies rumors of Apple acquisition talks - The Verge
Their headquarters have some resemblance at least. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Denied: https://9to5mac.com/2016/09/21/apple-reportedly-considering-an-acquisition-of-supercar-manufacturer-mclaren/ Note: "McLaren currently records yearly losses" Wonder if it was just a rumour Ron Dennis put out himself just to soften the banks to yet another loan
McLaren is profitable. July 2016: "Pre-tax profit for the year fell from £14.9m to £5.4m, which was due to increased R&D spending and accounting changes relating to hedging strategies, chief executive Mike Flewitt said. The company spent £124m on research, more than a quarter of its revenues. Operating profits rose 13.5 per cent to £23.5m, and the group saw a small decline in revenues, down 5.2 per cent to £451m, after selling a less-expensive mix of cars."
Apple have spent a fortune in the last three to four years acquiring talent from the automotive industry. With it they bring a wealth of talent and experience that matches anything the 6 year old Mclaren Automotive has to offer.
Yes, Apple would want to acquire a 6 year old manufacturer of a few thousand supercars and not the 25 year old and highly successful technology and electronics division... McLaren Technology Group itself is 31 years old. McLaren Applied Technologies is 25 years old. More ridiculous thoughts from ginge82. Can't you even use Wikipedia before you start typing? LOL BTW, any comment on the layoffs and changes underway recently at Apple regarding their Project Titan? How about the project leader leaving?
Mclaren technologies have zero to offer either. Their tech is primitive, as is their talent, compared to what Apple already has. A pointless acquisition that offers Apple nothing that it doesn't already have. As an aside, you know what they say about people that fact check on wikipedia, they end up posting the drivel that you do.