GoPro Inc To Be Acquired By Google In 2015: CCS Insight

Google has spent $5 billion on 33 acquisitions this year so far

Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) is going to acquire GoPro Inc (NASDAQ:GPRO) in 2015. That’s one of the predictions made by CCS Insight in its latest report titled Predictions for 2015 and Beyond. GoPro went public in June, and is currently valued at about $9 billion. Its stock has almost tripled its the IPO. The takeover might not be a pure fantasy. There are reasons to believe the prediction.

Google can exploit GoPro’s strengths

GoPro has been very successful in action camera market. But it’s facing increased competition from new entrants such as HTC and Polaroid. Google can provide the company further investment and exploit GoPro’s user base, technical expertise and brand for its Google Glass. Further, the search engine giant could also invest in video processing services and cloud storage for GoPro owners.

Google has spent $5 billion on 33 acquisitions this year so far. GoPro would require a huge investment from the Internet giant. But Google isn’t shy of big ticket deals. It had acquired Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. CSS Insight has also made some other bold predictions. It says that a big sports equipment maker, most probably Nike or Adidas, would acquire a wearable company such as Jawbone, Jabra or Fitbit.

Qualcomm to buy Fitbit

Moreover, the report specifically states that Qualcomm, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM) would gobble up Fitbit next year. Health and wellness functionality has become pervasive in smartwatches, fitness bands and headsets. CSS Insight also expects Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to strengthen its ties with Chinese search engine giant Baidu Inc (ADR) (NASDAQ:BIDU). The iPhone maker is focused on growth in China. Baidu wants to increase search revenue and user engagement by integrating its services in OS X and iOS.

The report also predicts Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s mobile platform to become the second most popular standard in the enterprise market, leaving behind BlackBerry and Android. Enterprises are increasingly gravitating towards Microsoft devices, due to their easy integration with back-end systems and cloud services.

http://www.valuewalk.com/2014/11/gopro-inc-to-be-acquired-by-google/