What would happen if Apple and Disney merged in 2011 under Steve Jobs?

One topic Iger addressed hasn’t been oft-discussed since Apple, Inc. founder and CEO Steve Jobs died of pancreatic cancer on October 5, 2011, was the potential merger of Disney and Apple, which had been on the table at one point in time.

Iger specifically talked about the fact that Disney’s vast content catalog from brands like Lucasfilm/Star Wars, Marvel Studios, National Geographic, and Pixar Animation Studios, which was purchased from Jobs himself would have been a perfect fit for how Apple presents its content to users. He went on to praise Jobs, who founded Apple Computers with Steve Wozniak on April 1, 1976, in California, noting that the visionary tech entrepreneur loved “everything that Disney did” and was passionate about “the intersection of great technology” and “great creativity.

Although the Disney Chairman stopped short of actually addressing what types of products he thinks a Disney-Apple merger would have led to, imagine, for a moment, Disney-branded iPhones and iPads that would come equipped with an exclusive Disney+ streaming platform UI.

But what would happen if Steve Jobs wasn't dead from pancreatic cancer and Apple and Disney merged into one giant corporation under Steve Jobs in 2011.

The 2011 merger of Apple and Disney
When the deal happened between Disney and Apple in 2011.

The Justice Department had an anti-trust concern about the merger between Apple and Disney, and every government has to investigate to avoid causing a monopoly. So, it would take a hella long time until it's completed. But however, it got approved in mid-2011 and completed in early 2014, and this would lead to the Walt Disney Company folding into Apple.

Apple


So, after the Apple-Disney merger, Apple still release iPhone 6 on September 19, 2014, and also that the iPhone 6 sold very well, making it the best selling and the most popular iPhone model and one of the most successful phones to date. In this universe, Apple would be sometimes completely focused on Mac-related products.



While in 2019, Apple released a new streaming service iPlus (I mean, what else, should they call?) to compete with YouTube Premium, Amazon Prime Video, and Sony Crackle, the most popular iPlus original series in 2020 are Ted Lasso and Star Wars' The Mandalorian. Oh, and it's only available on the Apple TV app, so for those that have android, srry, you will have to get another streaming service. :<

Disney Parks, Experiences and Products
There's some changes. The MagicBand would likely be replaced by The Apple Watch

and now what's scary is that Apple owns the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which is a governing jurisdiction for the land of the Walt Disney World Resort.

The Walt Disney Studios
Nothing would've changed except that Apple would not acquire 21st Century Fox in this universe, even though Rupert Murdoch would still make 21st Century Fox for sale in this alternate universe, while Touchstone Pictures would be very active.

The Streaming War
Despite Apple being a large and technological megacorporation. There's more competition just like our universe, Prince-owned Microsoft owns so many stuff like Cartoon Network, Google, 20th Century Fox; heck even Windows itself and Samsung. He's successfully expanding his media empire, but also he's taking linear television for most part and sometimes streaming way too seriously.

After Liberty Global merged with Advance Publications, the company Liberty Global would have bought Hasbro, Discovery, Vivendi, and TVN Group to boost Discovery+. The Hasbro franchises would've become the streaming home of Discovery+ to rival up mostly with Microsoft's DC Comics, Xbox and the Wizarding World, Apple's Marvel Comics and Lucasfilms, and now Amazon's James Bond and the Lord of Rings.

While Sony would look forward to acquiring other movie and gaming studios to compete with the others too. Amazon would also buy MGM to boost Amazon Prime Video, the same as in our universe.

Ownership of American iUniverse's media

 * The Windows Corporation owns HBO, Cartoon Network Global, FX Networks, National Geographic Society, Warner Bros. Entertainment, RKO Corporation, 20th Century Fox, Fremantle, DC Comics, NBC, Telemundo, Universal Studios, Amblin Partners, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, The Weather Channel, Crown Media Holdings, Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Sports, Fox Television Stations, Time (including more than 150 magazines including Time, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, Marie Claire and People), Bento Box Entertainment, Access Industries, MTV Media Networks, ITV plc, Windows Star Networks Asia Pacific, Windows operating system, Skype video chat service and Office productivity suite. The Windows Corporation is a subsidiary of Microsoft.
 * The Walt Disney Company owns the ABC television network, cable networks ESPN, Disney Channel, Disney XD, Freeform, History, A&E and Lifetime, Disney Mobile, Disney Music Group, Disney Publishing Worldwide, production companies Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios, Lucasfilm, Touchstone Pictures, Marvel Entertainment, ABC Audio (including three AM radio stations), Disney Consumer Products, and Disney Parks theme parks in several countries. Disney is a subsidiary of Apple.
 * Discovery Communications owns Lionsgate Films, Lionsgate Television, Lionsgate Interactive, and a variety of subsidiaries such as Summit Entertainment, Debmar-Mercury, Starz Inc. and Hasbro and a number of major U.S. cable networks dedicated primarily to factual, non-fiction programming, including Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, HGTV, Food Network, DIY Network, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel, and ID. The company also owns a variety of spin-off networks, including Science and Velocity, and has a major presence in Europe with localized versions of its U.S. brands, as well as the pan-European sports service Eurosport.
 * The company owns Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group (including Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, and Sony Pictures Animation) and Sony Pictures Television. Sony Pictures Entertainment is a subsidiary of Sony, a Japanese conglomerate.
 * The company owns Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Orion Pictures, MGM Television, cable channel MGM HD, premium cable channel and direct-to-consumer streaming service Epix, and extensive film and television content libraries. Privately owned by a group of creditors following MGM's emergence from bankruptcy in 2010. On May 26, 2021, Amazon announced their intent to acquire MGM Holdings for $8.45 billion, with the studio and its units/assets continuing operations under the new parent company.