Gallery: 10 Companies Apple Could Acquire Instead of Buying Back All That Stock

  • Image may contain Building Factory Assembly Line Manufacturing Human and Person
    Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED
    01

    tesla-edit

    Tesla: No company has done more to push innovation in the century-old horseless carriage category. One word: iCar.
  • Image may contain Drew Houston Sitting Human Person Clothing and Apparel
    Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED
    02

    Dropbox

    Dropbox co-founder and CEO Drew Houston. *Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED*
  • Image may contain Car Transportation Vehicle Automobile Human Person Clothing Apparel Tire Suit Coat and Overcoat
    Photo: Jon Snyder/WIRED
    03

    uber-edit

    Uber: Uber is already a transportation network built on top of an iPhone platform. Apple seems like a top candidate to help it build a mobile logistics network for the modern world.
  • Image may contain Furniture Chair Human Person Door Indoors Office and Room
    Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED
    04

    square-edit

    Square: Apple badly wants to stake a claim in payments. Square's Apple-centric design philosophy would make it a great fit.
  • Jawbone Jawbone designer of the Jambox wireless speaker and the Up fitness band shares Apple's affinity for friendly...
    Photo: Alex Washburn/WIRED
    05

    jawbone-edit

    Jawbone: Jawbone, designer of the Jambox wireless speaker and the Up fitness band, shares Apple's affinity for friendly minimalism.
  • Image may contain Electronics and Camera
    Photo: Jae C. Hong/AP
    06

    Gadget Show GoPro

    GoPro: GoPro pioneered the category of affordable high-def anywhere. Apple could launch an iPhone-GoPro hybrid in a matter of months.
  • Image may contain Launch Transportation Vehicle Rocket Nature and Outdoors
    Photo: SpaceX
    07

    spaceX-edit

    SpaceX: Imagine the marketing coup of a rocket launching into space with the Apple logo plastered on its side.
  • Image may contain Transportation Vehicle Truck Airplane Aircraft Van Car and Automobile
    Photo: FedEx
    08

    fedex-edit

    FedEx: Apple is already the way the world moves bits. With FedEx, it could also be the way it moves atoms.
  • Image may contain Human Person Clothing Footwear Apparel Shoe Shop and Shopping Cart
    Photo: Amy Newman/Northjersey.com/AP
    09

    Target

    Target: The combined forces of Apple's digital skill and Target's retail acumen could create a potential Amazon killer.
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    Image: Sigfrid López via Getty/Flickr
    10

    Luxembourg

    Luxembourg: Everything in this new Apple nation-state would "just work." Just don't ever try to fix anything yourself.
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