What To Do With $15 Billion?


'What should Apple do with its $15 billion in cash?' Fortune ponders. As the article points out, Apple has stockpiled more than HP, Google or IBM.

With that sort of dough, Apple could buy Netflix, TiVo out of petty cash. Quizzed on Apple's plans, CFO Peter Oppenhemer said it was a useful chunk of change for funding 'big projects' (without specifics), share buy-backs or possibly returning money to shareholders (which Apple doesn't do).

And Apple is also likely to add another $2 billion, perhaps, to that bank balance these holidays. But it also means Apple can weather a storm for a considerable period, if economic conditions require. That certainly wasn't the case a decade ago, in 1997, when Steve Jobs returned to the helm.

More interestingly, Apple could even buy Warner Music and the three other big labels, or take a controlling stake in each of them. Or how about a big slice of NBC, with which Cupertino is feuding currently?

AAPL is awaiting your suggestions.