It would be cool if Microsoft sold Xbox and Kinect to Apple

For Christmas, I want a MacBook. An iPhone 4S. An iPad 2.

Oh, and Xbox 360 with a 250gb drive and Kinect.

Which makes me, for good or bad, like everyone else in the Western world.

According to an annual poll of more than 5,000 American teens, all things Apple are desired above all other products. With the Xbox also posting a good showing:

The latest data from Piper Jaffray, released on Monday, shows that Apple products have been gaining in popularity with teenagers over the last four years. The firm has been tracking teen trends closely for the last 11 years, with an annual poll of between 5,000 and 10,000 teens conducted each fall.

The latest data for fall 2011 shows that 3.4 percent of respondents want an iPhone for Christmas, 2.5 percent have asked for an iPad, 2.1 percent want some form of iPod, and 1.3 percent specifically want the iPod touch. Another 1.1 percent also said they want a Mac for Christmas, while 0.9 percent asked for some other form of an Apple product, such as an iTunes gift card.

In all, about 11 percent of teens specifically mentioned some form of Apple product at the top of their wish list, up from 7 percent in the fall of 2008. That growth has mostly come from the Mac and iOS devices, which 9 percent of teens this year said they want as a gift.

Putting Apple's numbers in perspective, just 0.3 percent of respondents mentioned Microsoft's Xbox 360 gaming console, while 0.4 percent said they want a Sony PlayStation 3. In fact, the only gifts that came out ahead of Apple were cash, with 22 percent, and clothes, at 15 percent.

A less robust poll, but one that included adults, revealed similar results:

The iPhone 4S is the most sought-after technology product this Christmas with 39% of respondents to a recent SodaHead poll hoping to receive one.

Focusing solely on tablet devices, unsurprisingly the iPad 2 remains top of the list with 65% of respondents hoping to receive one this Christmas. Compare that to 24% and 11% hoping to receive the Kindle Fire and the Nook tablet respectively. Overall, the iPad 2 is the second most-desired technology product this Christmas on 31% popularity.

Gaming related presents are also popular with Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect featuring high on most people’s wish lists. The top gifts for kids include video games, preferred by 51% of respondents, and computers, preferred by 32%. Music and movies score fairly low, featuring on just 8% of wish lists.

An iOS device (or two or three or four). A Mac. An Xbox. That's what we want. These are all technology devices, yes, and the most coveted, but what else do they have in common?

They are all fully closed systems, where one company makes the device, controls the device, and is fully responsible for the platform itself, the hardware, the operating system, the online community; everything.

Which all the planet knows is where Apple kicks ass. Not Microsoft.

Yes, after years and years and years of losses, Xbox now makes Microsoft money. But let's face it, where Microsoft makes the majority of their money, and where they focus the majority of their efforts, and do their best, is on the software side, particularly the corporate software side. Xbox is a consumer device, sold in individual units, primarily through retail outlets, and the software and 'computer' hardware are fully integrated.

Xbox does not belong with Microsoft. They should sell it to Apple. This will make *everybody* happier. Microsoft can continue to focus on what they do best. Apple can leverage its corporate ecosystem to make Xbox even better. How? I'm glad you asked.

Apple has over 350 stores throughout the US and around the world. They are filled, everywhere. Think of what a great job they can do by showing off the Xbox -- and letting many users try it, not just that one punk ass 10-year-old at Best Buy hogging the sole display, whose parents have abandoned him. Putting the Xbox into Apple Stores will jack up already jacked up sales. Microsoft just announced that 1 million Xbox consoles were sold last week. Along with more than 750,000 Kinect "sensors".  How much more would have sold, I wonder, if they were prominently offered in every Apple Store?

Speaking of Kinect, that brings us to the second reason why Apple should buy Xbox: interface. Who is better at interface design than Apple? (No one -- I wasn't really asking). Access to content, old scores, online competitors are just part of the interface experience. There is also the controller, which is a bulky retread of the controllers we've been using for well over 20 years, and the Kinect sensor. Imagine what happens once Apple gets hold of Xbox. Possibly they improve the online experience, but they absolutely improve the controller and the Kinect interface. This is an Apple specialty! It is absolutely not a Microsoft strength.

Speaking of Apple specialties, Xbox is a closed device. Hardware and software integrated, built to one company's exacting specifications. Again, this is not a Microsoft strength. Selling packaged software, often in bulk, is what Microsoft is best at. Apple, however, has hardware-software integration prominent within their corporate DNA.

There's also Apple's superiority at content delivery. The App Store, Mac App Store, iTunes, iCloud; all are likely to offer a superior, more cost effective platform for Xbox updates, game updates, 'in-app' purchases and more. Microsoft hopes to make Xbox a 'platform' for content as well, not only gaming. But they've been at this for over a decade. Think of Windows Media. Think of Zune. Microsoft flounders at this stuff. This is where Apple kicks ass. Want a movie on your Xbox? If it's owned by Apple, you'll have no problems. 

Lastly, appearance. I meet people who insist that the Xbox 'looks cool'. 

Sad, sad people. The Xbox is a big black box. It is not attractive, not sexy, not cool. It is functional, period. Imagine how cool, truly cool, Apple can make the Xbox!

Apple should buy Xbox. Micrososft should sell Xbox to Apple. Everyone will be better off?

The next question, of course, is how much? According to Trefis, Xbox (and Zune) comprise 7.6% of Microsoft's market cap. As I write this, $MSFT is worth $214 billion. In other words, about $15 billion. Apple has about $85 billion in cash. Let's say they get all of Xbox for $25 billion, Apple still has $60 billion in cash on hand, and this continues to grow, and offers the most popular consumer devices around the world, and, thanks to the thriving iOS ecosystem, with its thriving gaming ecosystem, dominates the consumer gaming industry. 

What do you think?