臉譜網20億收購Oculus 我們在購買未來

Facebook announced they're acquiring Oculus Rift, a virtual reality platform, for $2 billion.

Facebook宣佈斥資20億美元收購虛擬現實技術廠商Oculus Rift。

Yes, the social network is buying a VR helmet-maker.

是的沒錯，社交網絡巨頭Facebook收購的是一家虛擬現實頭盔生產商。

The dominant reaction to the move could be summed up in three letters: WTF.

這一壓倒性收購行動可以用三個字母總結：看未來（WTF：Watch The Future）。

We see the acquisition of a piece with recent moves by other technology companies. Google bought Nest, a home automation/robotics company, and a passel of robotics companies. Apple is negotiating with Comcast about building out a TV service on the cable company's pipes. And Facebook itself recently has supposedly been in talks to buy a drone maker.

最近其他科技公司的收購行動也引起我們的注目，Google收購了家庭自動化/機器人生產公司Nest，以及一批其他的機器人公司；蘋果公司正在和康卡斯特（美國最大的有線系統公司）協商，意欲借該有線電視公司的通道開啓電視服務；Facebook最近有可能發起商談以收購無人機制造商Titan。

What do they all have in common?

這些收購有什麼共同之處呢？

All these moves are about technology companies looking to create businesses off the computer/mobile screen. In a world where smartphone sales growth is going to level off soon, where social networking growth has already slowed, where everyone already uses Google ... where do companies go to continue the revenue growth that is baked into their current share prices?

所有這些收購案例中，科技公司都在尋求涉足非電子/移動領域。現狀是智能手機銷售增長趨於平穩、社交網絡用戶增長緩慢、Google搜索引擎也已經人人在用了，各大公司如何繼續保持收益增長、維持股票價格呢？

Maybe they go after a share of TV money, or bet on the Internet of Things, or get in early with the explosion of consumer robotics.

通過分割電視收益、押注物聯網、或者搶先進入暫未火爆的機器人消費市場，他們也許能達到自己的目標。

These massively valuable companies need to grab some land in whatever big technology wave comes next. And they are starting to buy where they think the fertile territory is.

這些市值巨大的公司需要抓住科技領域先機。所以他們開始收購本公司認爲有前景的公司。