Speculation on yesterday's announcement that Apple is said to be considering purchase of Universal, from today's NYT:
"It is interesting to note," said Michael Nathanson, a music analyst with Sanford Bernstein & Company, that Vivendi's shares "did not respond to the news, suggesting that media investors did not take it seriously, because they are so aware of how bad the fundamentals of the music business are."
Both Vivendi and Apple declined to comment.Several people close to the discussions said it seemed unlikely that a deal would ultimately happen. One executive who talked recently with Steven P. Jobs, Apple's chief executive, about the music business said: "It makes no sense. He didn't seem like a buyer of music."
Indeed, the new plan for an online store seems to eliminate Apple's need to have any interest in the music business because it would have access to the music. "Why buy the cow when you already have the milk?" one executive close to Apple's planning said."
