Would Warren Buffett Ever Buy Apple Inc. (AAPL)?

In the following video, Fool senior technology analyst Eric Bleeker looks at a question that could seem ludicrous given Berkshire Hathaway‘s traditional aversion to technology: Would Warren Buffett ever buy Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)?

In spite of Buffett’s long stance that technology is either too complicated or lacks the right long-term competitive advantages for his investing style, recent evidence points to his having more interest in the space than he lets on.

For example, Berkshire took a position in Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) back in 2011. The deal was small enough that it was almost assuredly from potential Buffett successor Todd Combs. Also, in a surprising move that eschewed its traditional long-term focus, Berkshire sold the position within a year’s time for healthy gains. Yet the fact that Berkshire would invest in something that competes on the most cutting edge of technology — the non-stop march of semiconductor technologies — was intriguing.

Much larger than Intel was Buffett’s buy of International Business Machines Corp (NYSE:IBM). It’s a company that’s as blue-chip as they come in technology and has a tremendous model that increasingly layers software and services on top its hardware portfolio, yet there’s no denying it competes in some very fast-moving and advanced markets. IBM isn’t a small bet, either. It’s Buffett’s third largest public holding. The $14 billion Berkshire owns in IBM is only slightly smaller than its fabled The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) holding.

Finally we come to Buffett and right-hand man Charlie Munger’s description of Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) back in March 2009:

“Google has a huge new moat. In fact I’ve probably never seen such a wide moat,” said Munger. “I don’t know how to take [the moat] away from them,” said Buffett.” “Their moat is filled with sharks!” Munger added.

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) does have a fabulous competitive position, yet even with Buffett’s willingness to invest in great companies at fair prices, its current P/E of 26 is probably a bit too steep to see the Oracle sniffing around Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s shares.

So we have ample evidence that Buffett could very well be overly modest and cagey in his deference to technology investing. With Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) now within a modest one-day drop away from being in the 5% cheapest companies in the S&P 500, could Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) possibly be a stock on Buffett’s radar?

As Eric notes, it has some qualities Buffett likes. Its $137 billion in cash is beyond a fortress-like balance sheet, the company has a tremendous global brand, and its cash flow continues to outpace earnings growth. Buffett’s statements on CNBC last week also showed he doesn’t find the company terribly expensive, suggesting Tim Cook use the company’s cash to rebuy shares.