Here are your daily Apple news items and rumors for Friday:
iHulu: Streaming video service Hulu is a hot commodity, it seems. Yahoo (NASDAQ:YHOO), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) are just a few of the companies said to be considering an acquisition of Hulu. According to a Thursday report at Bloomberg, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is considering adding Hulu to its family. This would be a logical and profitable move for both companies. Apple certainly can afford the purchase now that it has built up a war chest of $76 billion in cash and securities. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company also needs a presence in the streaming video business now that its iTunes video rentals and sales have been eclipsed in the market by Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX). Hulu could hardly do better for a business partner, as well, as the proliferation of Apple’s mobile devices would put a much-needed spotlight on the premium subscription service Hulu Plus.
AT&T Hangs Tough: Never doubt the power of a super-cheap iPhone. While some analysts were predicting the downfall of AT&T (NYSE:T) when the iPhone came to Verizon‘s (NYSE:VZ) network in February, it turns out the once-exclusive carrier of Apple’s device had nothing to worry about. A Friday report at Apple Insider said AT&T activated more than 1 million more iPhones than Apple during the second quarter. The key to AT&T’s victory was the older model of phone, the iPhone 3GS, which sells for just $49 with a two-year contract. It’s possible that, come fall, when Apple unveils its next model of iPhone, that Verizon will be able to make up for lost time with a $49 model of its own.
Chinese Ubiquity: Reuters reported July 13 that Apple was ready to spread the iPhone love in China when it brought its signature device to China Telecom’s network later this fall. Now it appears that Apple will officially support all three major Chinese mobile carriers. A Friday report at Bloomberg said the fifth-generation iPhone, due out in September, will be supported by China Telecom (NYSE:CHA), China Unicom (NYSE:CHU) and China Mobile (NYSE:CHL). The information originated from an anonymous source that spoke with Chinese media group Caixin.
As of this writing, Anthony John Agnello did not own a position in any of the stocks named here. Follow him on Twitter at @ajohnagnello and become a fan of InvestorPlace on Facebook.
