China’s Tsinghua Unigroup has Apple (AAPL) supplier Qualcomm (QCOM) in its sights, planning to invest $47 billion over the next five years to leapfrog Qualcomm and become the world’s No. 3 chipmaker. And Tsinghua’s ambitions could find it swallowing up smaller chipmakers such as Maxim Integrated (MXIM), Micron Technology (MU) and Xilinx (XLNX). The state-owned investment group must outplay U.S. companies scrambling amid frenzied chip sector M&A
Apple’s (AAPL) next big thing, which few people are talking about today, is augmented reality, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said Wednesday. Speaking at Business Insider’s Ignition conference, Munster gave his predictions for Apple in 2016 and beyond. Augmented or “mixed” reality devices are a longer-term initiative that could eventually replace the iPhone, he said. The big stories next year for Apple will include expanding its iPhone Upgrade
Amid a broader deal-making atmosphere, FBR says that Apple (AAPL) could use its $200 billion cash pile to make an acquisition in 2016. Apple is “entering a critical juncture from a product, growth and strategic perspective,” according to FBR. The analyst listed four “wish list” acquisitions for Apple: Adobe Systems (ADBE), Box (BOX), GoPro (GPRO) and Tesla Motors (TSLA). Bigger Enterprise Presence The consumer tech giant is boosting its corporate