Apple's set-top box cure: A TiVo acquisition | Apple - CNET News

Excerpt from a plausible pairing permutation profile

"What's a shorter route to TV set-top box utopia? Just buy TiVo.
Alfred Fried & Co. analyst Rich Tullo floated the TiVo idea in a research note. His reasons for arguing that Apple should buy TiVo go like this:

• Apple could acquire TiVo for $1.5 billion to $2 billion. 

• Apple could reverse engineer set-top boxes for $500 million, or buy TiVo, which would probably sue Apple anyway. 

• The TiVo box would become an iBox. 

• TiVo has valuable intellectual property for Apple. 

• Cable companies already have deals with TiVo. "

Apple's set-top box cure: A TiVo acquisition | Apple - CNET News