Days after Sony kills off the Walkman and images of a Sony Playstation Phone run rampant, speculation about a potential Apple-Sony merger is spreading across the web. The rumors caused a slight jump in Sony’s stock, which was stagnant until that point. Apple and Sony haven’t addressed the rumors at this point.
It seems like a merger between Apple and Sony could make sense for both companies. They are on a collision course as far as gaming and entertainment goes. Apple is quick to point out that iPhone and iPod touch are the world’s best-selling portable gaming devices. They are well ahead of Nintendo and Sony doesn’t even appear to be in the running, which explains why they may need to branch out and create a phone/gaming device of their own. A merger with Apple could create a more powerful adversary for Microsoft and Nintendo. Think Playstation + Apple TV.
On the other side of the spectrum both companies are big on entertainment. Apple would gain a foothold into millions of living rooms, possibly bringing Apple TV functionality and iTunes integration to more devices. This is the direction Google TV was headed before some push-back from the entertainment industry.
Apple may very well succeed in invading our living rooms and owning our handhelds, but a merger with Sony could accelerate the process and bring exciting technological developments.
via DigitalTrends, Technorati, TUAW