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Apple actively discussing how to spend its McDuckian cash pile

Posted: , by Michael H.

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Apple actively discussing how to spend its McDuckian cash pile
Last month, we brought you an infographic that showed just how obscene Apple's cash reserves are, and now it looks like the company may actually be on the verge of using that money for something. At Apple's annual investor meeting on Thursday, CEO Tim Cook admitted that swimming in Apple's Scrooge McDuck-like cash pool is getting boring. 

Actually, Cook said that Apple has more money than it needs to run the company, which is by no means a surprise, but is a welcome admission from Apple's new CEO. Apple currently has about $100 billion in cash reserves, and Cook said that the board is having "active discussions" about what to do with that money, adding that "The board and management team are thinking about this very deeply.”

This doesn't mean that Apple will spend that money, or how it would spend it if it does, but there is a lot that can be done with $100 billion, so the possibilities alone are pretty staggering. In all likelihood, the company will just spend a portion of the cash, but that doesn't mean we can't have some fun imagining what Apple could do. We kind of like the idea of a lasting gesture, like Apple buying an island that's visible from space, say Southampton Island in Canada, and shaping it into the Apple logo. 

What do you guys think Apple should do with the cash? And, please let's just have fun, we don't want a bunch of annoying comments that are just bashing Apple. 

source: Bloomberg via BGR

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1. LoneShaolin posted on 23 Feb 2012, 17:58 14 7

Buy their own country. Or a small island, like Diego Garcia. Then move ALL of their iPhreaks there so we don't have to hear, see, or deal with the lemmings.

Also, first.

3. taz89 posted on 23 Feb 2012, 18:04 8 5

lol was going to say the same thing.

5. bigboy029 posted on 23 Feb 2012, 18:12 6 4

Look at the last sentence of the article. *facepalm*

15. LoneShaolin posted on 23 Feb 2012, 20:00 5 4

I read that. Also having fun, which was also mentioned.

14. electrophage posted on 23 Feb 2012, 19:53 1 3

Amen to that!

2. TKFox007 posted on 23 Feb 2012, 18:02 11 3

Actually innovating instead of pushing out the same old product?

Who are we kidding? They're going ti spend it on more lawsuits.

19. sprockkets posted on 23 Feb 2012, 20:29 3 1

The scene at the shareholder meeting"

"We should pay dividends to our shareholders!"

"How about building a US factory!"

Tim Cook, "All good ideas but that money is set aside for Steve Job's death bed wish."

"Oh f--- no..."

Tim : "Destroy Android. Until that happens, all other options are off the table."

4. jsoliz1985 posted on 23 Feb 2012, 18:12 5 1

Invest the money in moving forward battery technology and then license it to manufacturers. Battery technology is the bottleneck for phones at this point. With the increase in demand for phones and mobile devices that are more powerful and do more comes the need for battery technology to catch up or at least move int he right direction. Although motorola recently made a great device in the RAZR MAXX, the only thing they did was engineer their phone to facilitate the addition of a larger battery. I can appreciate all the work that went into the RAZR but with a subpar screen and the lack of any attempt to make the phone feel better in hand the only thing going for it is the battery life.

13. MichaelHeller posted on 23 Feb 2012, 19:40 2

I like this idea. Apple has been really good in pushing forward battery technology. I doubt that Apple would license anything, but if Apple were to make hydrogen cell batteries the standard, that would be huge.

20. lemenade posted on 23 Feb 2012, 20:47 1 2

Actually hydrogen cells are very expensive and the hydrogen alone would extremely expensive. A more practical and efficient alternative would be methanol fuel cells which have the potential to run a smart phone for a week with moderate usage.

24. remixfa posted on 23 Feb 2012, 23:58

counterpoint.

hydrogen is the most common molecule in the entire universe.
hydrogen fuel cells are nothing more than H + static electricity = hydrogen burn + O2 = electricity through the burn + H2O as a by product.
Forgive me if im a little off.. im reciting this from a very drunken memory.. but the basics are right.. insert hydrogen, water as a byproduct..

Hydrogen is as cheap as it gets. It is the most basic element in the universe.

30. bayusuputra posted on 25 Feb 2012, 04:01

yes, and hydrogen won't be depleted so soon.. it's one of the best alternative sources out there.. but i wonder if apple will keep it to themselves remembering how open they are to competitors..

6. squallz506 posted on 23 Feb 2012, 18:22 7

i think they should donate it to charity. it seems as of late they are all about public image; well moreso than usual anyway.

maybe build another solar farm? or make the fuel cell phone a reality? they have more than enough dough to make a far-sighted investment, and not have to worry about the short-term.

29. InspectorGadget80 posted on 24 Feb 2012, 09:55 2 1

Apple will never do any charity their board of members are too damn greedy when it comes to charites

7. darac posted on 23 Feb 2012, 18:24 1 1

They could, technically, buy half of their competitors.
So I'm glad that Motorola gas been taken instead by Google, and that Sony bought off his mobile business.

8. thnkthru3 posted on 23 Feb 2012, 18:58 6

They could absorb some of the cost of increasing production here in the US of A. (Help create some domestic jobs)

10. tedkord posted on 23 Feb 2012, 19:32 2 2

Whoa there, cowboy. Let's watch that kind of talk.

9. 14545 posted on 23 Feb 2012, 19:00 4

No bashing of apple, well that just takes all the fun out of it.

11. tedkord posted on 23 Feb 2012, 19:34 2

Probably really big bonuses for the CEO, senior management team and board members. That's what most big US corporations do with really large profits. Like all the oil companies closing refineries on the east coast, where despite making profits in excess of $2 Billion per quarter, they havent invested in modernizing and maintaining these refineries because it would cost $300-400 Million.

12. jove39 posted on 23 Feb 2012, 19:37 3

Give raise/bonus to employees

16. shamu11 posted on 23 Feb 2012, 20:16 3

INNOVATE!!!!

17. mercorp posted on 23 Feb 2012, 20:19 2 2

give it to charity.or even better,donate it to greece.$$

18. JGuinan007 posted on 23 Feb 2012, 20:27 4

They should buy T-Mobile then move all Iphones to that carrier

21. joey18 posted on 23 Feb 2012, 22:02 3 1

Buy sprint mobile and bring better service

22. jbrown187 posted on 23 Feb 2012, 23:07 3

Pay Tyler Perry to stop making movies, TV shows etc.

23. anonimust posted on 23 Feb 2012, 23:15 3

Sell ipads and iphones for a marginal profit instead of their overpriced markup,

In fact, if they don't need the extra money, just sell their products at cost or below.

$250 ipads, and $100 unsubsidized Iphones, and I bet they would still have $100 billion in cash at the end of the day.

25. remixfa posted on 24 Feb 2012, 00:00 2

wait.. do i get credit for my constant scrooge mcduck imagery when apple's money is concerned? :) :) :) :) :) :) :) ive only been making that analogy for.. oh .. years now on this site :)

michael..... oooo michael :)

26. kanagadeepan posted on 24 Feb 2012, 00:14 3

lawyers of apple ENJOY.... So with sooo much money with them, they may NOT stop the dirty lawsuit games...

Further it once again proves, how over-priced their products always are... It is great to be an apple share-holder than their customer, imho...

27. Luuthian posted on 24 Feb 2012, 01:23

How about some seriously off the wall R&D? Or even something more practical, like batteries.

28. W.P._Android_in_that_Order posted on 24 Feb 2012, 02:07

I like the idea of them buying up sprint or tMo. Although they migt now like that since the profit margins arent as high as their standards, it would be a good way to unite their sevices.

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