Apple-Twitter Marriage In The Cards?

So is there any "there" there to the idea that Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple could be treading in waters recently vacated by Facebook, among others? Gawker's Owen Thomas says Apple is "in serious negotiations" with Twitter, headquartered in San Francisco, "with the goal of unveiling a deal by June 8, when Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference launches in San Jose."

Gawker on Monday cited a source "who's plugged into the Valley's deal scene" and another close to Twitter as concluding that any deal would have to be in the $700 million range -- possibly in the form of straight cash from well-heeled Apple -- as Twitter reportedly turned down an earlier $500 million offer from Facebook. Some observers believe the company rejected a similar offer from Google.

"What does Twitter, an adorable but unprofitable startup, have to do with a hardware company like Apple? The iPhone is the obvious driver of the deal," Thomas wrote early Tuesday morning. TechCrunch added a bit of intrigue later in the day, reporting its own anonymous source as saying pretty much the same thing.

Others aren't so sure.

"Apple ... has no clear motive to buy Twitter, and no possible use for Twitter under Apple's current business plan," opined PC World's Ian Paul. He felt another Apple acquisition rumor circulating early in the week, involving video game maker Electronic Arts, "makes far more sense."

Twitter users are estimated to number about 25 million worldwide. Apple has roughly $29 billion in cash reserves, according to reports.