Microsoft Seeks to Acquire Yahoo
In a shocking counter to Google's successful Internet business compared to Microsoft's lackluster one, The New York Times reported that Microsoft had made a $44.6 billion offer to purchase Yahoo on Friday.
Microsoft's bid to purchase Yahoo is the result of the technological giant's effort to compete with Google's success on the Internet. Online software is increasingly prominent, and Microsoft fears that it may be losing an edge to Google.
"No one can compete with Google on their own anymore," Jon Miller, former chairman and chief executive of AOL, told he New York Times. "There has to be consolidation among the major players. It has been a long time coming, and now it is here."
Aside from Google, few companies would be able to compete with Microsoft's bid, and Google would not likely try to purchase Yahoo out of antitrust concerns.
Amazon Pays Big for Audio book Seller
In accordance with Amazon's expansion into online books as evidenced by the Amazon Kindle, The New York Times reported that the online retailer will be purchasing Audible, the largest seller of audio books online for a price of $300 million.
This allows people who use the Kindle to download audio books straight to the device.
"We think that Audible for many years has been providing the best customer experience in the spoken-word space," Steven Kessel, Amazon's senior vice president for worldwide digital media told The New York Times. "Now being able to have that as part of the Amazon family is what gets us excited."
The Times raised the question on how Apple would respond to this, as content from Audible is available on iTunes, and Amazon and iTunes are competitors in online media.
-MIKE CARUSI
