Apple Buying Facebook?

It is a possibility.
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/opinions/view/opinion/The-Case-for-Apple-Buying-Facebook-5445

What would this possible merger mean for Facebook users? A lot of things, some good and some potentially bad.
1. Apple device integration - as the article points out, Apple's Facetime could receive a whole new level of users. 500 million of them worldwide. This could be the necessary step in making video chat the norm over text and phone conversations.
2. Ping integration - if you've even heard of Apple's new Ping network, you may actually use it if this buy-out becomes reality.
3. Apple gets access to huge amounts of marketing data - this is kind of the case against the merger or buyout. Apple is not in the business of information right now, and buying Facebook would give it a whole new business to run: advertising.
4. Restrictive Facebook - if you've ever used an ios device, you know how restrictive apple can be. This buyout would put Apple's closed source mentality in much closer direct competition with Google's open source services. What would these restrictions be? Well they could lead to increased privacy on Facebook, which is good, but it depends how far Apple takes it.

Is this acquisition likely? In my opinion, yes. Apple has the money, and we know Mark and Steve have met in person. If they don't buy it when Facebook goes public, they could be leaving a great opportunity open to their competition (think Google).