

TechCrunch, and other tech blogs, are reporting that “Apple is in late stage negotiations to buy Twitter and is hoping to announce it at WWDC in June.“

This has to be one the dumbest rumors we’ve ever heard. What in the world would ever prompt Apple to even consider purchasing Twitter? And wasn’t TechCrunch the same site that reported a few weeks ago that Google was in “late stage negotiations” to purchase the Twitter? Ridiculous.

Kara Swisher over at AllThingsD has a brief rundown explaining why the above rumor should be ignored and holds no weight (in case common sense isn’t enough).

But despite very serious interest in Twitter by every company that can afford considering such a thing, getting across that late-stage line would require major investors in the microblogging service to be involved and they are not as yet. In fact, both Twitter Co-founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone are in New York today to attend the 2009 “Time 100″ dinner, which fetes this year’s influential people honorees selected by the magazine. Which they are. So, if they are in serious talks with Apple, they better grab that award and head on home tout de suite.

The idea that Apple would buy a company that has no idea how to make money, and has nothing to do with Apple’s core business is absurd and downright laughable. Apple makes surgical purchases, a’la PA Semi, that fit into its long term roadmap. The odds of Apple purchasing Twitter are about as high as Apple purchasing EdibleApple.

When Apple bought P.A Semi for $278 million, it acquired engineers, patents, and a boatload of intellectual property and chip design know-how. Does anyone honestly think Apple would pay nearly 3x as much for a company like Twitter?

And speaking of Twitter, and our lovely site, make sure to follow us over here.

Shameless, we know.

Related: Valleywag’s ridiculous attempt to rationalize the Apple/Twitter rumor