Apple Inc. (AAPL) Should Have One-Upped Google Inc (GOOGL) For Waze And Nest: Bill Gurley

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) made a blunder when it let Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) acquire Waze and Nest Labs, Bill Gurley of Benchmark told Emily Chang in an interview for Bloomberg.

Furthermore, the Benchmark general partner said Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s only problem is Android and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s taste for going head to head with rivals.

“I think Apple’s only problem – only problem – is Android and Google and Google’s willingness to be aggressive. Apple should have paid anything for Waze – like just flat out,” he said.

According to him, if Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) spent $3 billion for Beats Electronics which he describes as a “headphone company,” it could have easily spent $2 billion for a maps company if only stop rivals like Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) from getting the deal. “It’s a no brainer,” he said.

Waze, a company that deals with social maps, was acquired by the Internet search and advertising giant for close to $1 billion last year.

Furthermore, he said Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) should have been Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) in the acquisition of Nest Labs. Nest Labs was acquired by the Mountain View, California-based giant for $3.2 billion early this year.

“I think they probably should have found a way to buy Nest [Labs] solely because of my deep, deep respect for Tony Fadell,” he said.

Fadell was a former Apple executive credited for his instrumental role in the production of the iPod.

David Einhorn’s Greenlight Capital held a stake of about 9.17 million Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares by the end of the third quarter. By the end of the same period, Donald Chiboucis’ Columbus Circle Investors reported owning 423,195 Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) shares.