San Francisco Chronicle reports that Apple may have considered acquiring popular electric car maker Tesla last year.
According to the report, Apple’s head of acquisitions Adrian Perica met with Elon Musk, founder and CEO of Tesla early last year.
The report notes that Apple’s CEO Tim Cook may have also been involved in the meeting. It could just be a speculation as Apple executives could have met Musk to discuss a deal to integrate iOS devices with Tesla cars. However, it seems does seem odd that Apple’s head of acquisitions would be present in such a meeting.
San Francisco Chronicle reports:
In October 2013, German investment banking analyst Adnaan Ahmad created a media stir when he wrote an “open letter” to Apple CEO Tim Cook and board director Al Gore, urging the company to acquire Tesla.
“I know this is radical and potentially ‘transformative’ but this would radically alter Apple’s growth profile,” Ahmad wrote. “In Elon Musk, you could strike up a partnership and obtain a new iconic partner to lead Apple’s innovation drive.”
As it turns out, Apple already had the same idea.
Six months before Ahmad’s letter, Musk met with Perica and probably Cook at Apple headquarters, said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect business relationships. While a megadeal has yet to emerge (for all of its cash, Apple still plays hardball on valuation), such a high-level meeting between the two Silicon Valley giants involving their top dealmakers suggests Apple was very much interested in buying the electric car pioneer.
Tesla cars come with Google Maps integration. Tesla has also been in talks with Google to add the search giant’s driverless technology to its cars. It must also be noted that Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin invested in Tesla before it went public in 2010. Tesla shares have also risen by over 400% since the beginning of 2013, and currently boasts a market cap of $24.30 billion. So Apple buying Tesla does seem unlikely now.
iWatch:
The report also points out the patents filed by Apple suggest that it is developing a technology that could possibly unlock an iPhone by identifying the owner’s unique electric signals from the heart.
The report also claims that Apple is also exploring ways to predict heart attacks using audio sensors, which could probably be a feature for its rumored iWatch.
Apple is exploring ways to measure noise “turbulence” as it applies to blood flow. The company wants to develop software and sensors that can predict heart attacks by identifying the sound blood makes as it tries to move through an artery clogged with plaque, the source said.
Apple is widely expected to launch iWatch later this year. Apple has been hiring aggressively for the iWatch project, and it looks like health and fitness tracking will be one of the major features of the device.
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