Reuters reports that shares of German television set maker Loewe jumped 43% today as rumors of a possible acquisition by Apple resurfaced. A trader was quoted as saying that Apple is looking to bid 4 euros per share for Loewe, but a company spokesman claimed that Loewe was not aware of any such offer.
Rumors of an Apple acquisition of Loewe first emerged in May of last year, dying when Loewe said there was "absolutely nothing to it". It is not known what has led to the renewed speculation today.
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While Loewe's luxury TV designs are very much in line with what might be expected from the long-anticipated Apple television set, given that design is one of Apple's core strengths it is not immediately clear what unique contributions Loewe might bring to the table. The German manufacturer is 28% owned by Sharp, 13% by the company's management, 11% by storage company Lacie, and the rest freely traded.
As of the time of writing, Loewe shares were up 33% to 3.63 euros ($4.89), valuing the company at 53 million euros.
Top Rated Comments
I like the rest of the setup, but... that double chin on the TV....
Patents, maybe?
yes and no. It has a modular design, so you can upgrade as new technologies become available. It also comes with a design that some people consider "high end". (I prefer the extremely zen-buddhistic Bravia design.) Apart from that, it can be seen as an overpriced Sharp TV.
Menu navigation is also nothing revolutionary and more or less the same pain as with most brands.
1) Apple has (arguably) the world's best technology design team in house
2) All the technological expertise and R&D to create the appropriate display to fit their product needs (does Loewe have some sort of coveted patent that they want?)
3) They will probably manufacture their TV set in China, taking full advantage of their incredibly efficient supply chain, and wouldn't necessarily need Loewes for that.
Why do they need this company?