[scratt]

Hmm.. The "good programmer in a bed room" can be applied to virtually all the big internet companies.
It seems in the computer industry it's just the same as everywhere else. It's who you know, and when you do things that matters.. Sure a lot of people here at AN could make Twitter, eBay or even Google... and when the time came they could buy more bandwidth and servers etc. and in theory the revenue from ads, or from 'Angels' would cover that.. But they didn't. Digg, Twitter, etc. etc. all had the right contacts, the right 'word of mouth' and so on.. and foisted these monstrosities on us... The dream of making a startup in your bedroom, with a few good pals.. whilst still possible, is not realistic these days. Not really for anything other than the truly exceptional. Twitter is not exceptional.. So IMO right people, right place, right contacts, right time. End of.

As a lot of tech blogs have pointed out Apple is still going to make money from Twitter apps on the iPhone whether they have the company or not.. And it takes a lot of $1.99 apps to cover a $700,000,000.00 bill.
Frankly with Apple's exposure and market penetration I think they could 'make' Twitter2 for about 1/700th of that. They are certainly not interested in buying the idea.. Rather the current penetration of said idea.

Also Twitter is such an inane piece of narcissistic crap I think that FFL's theory holds more weight than any others.. Apple actually buying Twitter and branding their stuff with it for WWDC sounds like a nightmare of kitsch banners, and pointless merchandising for the sake of being relevant. Much more like an MS move than an Apple move...

I was simply reporting what I heard, and from more than the usual sources.

Do I think it will happen. Probably not.

Do I think it would be stupid if it did happen. Absolutely.

But perhaps Apple sees something we don't. Perhaps the talks are actually for something akin to the Google search box we have in Safari.. That I think is very possible, however unfortunate.