From time-to-time, Apple acquires smaller companies for various reasons. This week sees the company grabbing itself a company focused on artificial intelligence.
Apple acquires Xnor.ai, an artificial intelligence company in Seattle
Acquisition
Apple acquires Spectral Edge to improve iPhone photography
The iPhone's camera systems are already plenty impressive, especially in the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro, but there's always room for improvement.
Apple’s acquisition has boosted Shazam’s profit and user base
Apple's December 2017 deal to acquire Shazam for a reported $400 million has resulted in increased profit and user base for the popular song identification service.
Apple to acquire majority of Intel’s smartphone modem business for $1 billion
Apple announced on Thursday that it has signed an agreement to acquire the majority of Intel's smartphone modem business. The deal is worth $1 billion and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year. Included in the buyout are 2,200 Intel employees joining Apple, patents and other IP, equipment and leases.
Apple acquired Tueo Health, a startup building an asthma monitoring app for children
Apple sees plenty of room to grow in the health market. The Apple Watch has already become a huge gateway into that world, along with HealthKit and the Health app for iOS. Which is why hearing about a new acquisition in that range certainly makes sense.
Disney now has full control of Hulu through a new deal with Comcast
Slowly but surely, Disney has been increasing its ownership stake in Hulu and now has come to the point where it has full control of the video-streaming service through a deal with Comcast.
Apple has acquired more than two-dozen startups in the past six months
Apple typically buys smaller companies from time to time for their talent or specific technologies but rarely comments on the deals. But now, Tim Cook himself has said in an interview with CNBC that his company has snapped up 25 startups in the past six months.
Apple snaps up home security camera maker Lighthouse AI after buying its patents
Apple has quietly absorbed home security camera maker Lighthouse AI after buying several of its US patents earlier in the month.
Apple reportedly buys Italian workflow automation platform Stamplay
Apple has reportedly acquired Stamplay, an Italian developer platform co-founded by Giuliano Iacobelli and Nicola Mattina, for a reported five million euros, or about $5.7 million US dollars.
Apple acquires machine learning startup Laserlike
Apple has acquired Laserlike, a small machine learning startup based in Silicon Valley. The Information reports that the buyout happened late last year, and the team has joined Apple's new artificial intelligence group.
Apple buys patents from defunct home security camera maker Lighthouse AI
Apple recently snapped up a batch of US patents from Lighthouse AI, a defunct home security camera company that shuttered a few months ago. The acquired IP portfolio includes crucial patents related to the depth sensing technology used by Lighthouse's cameras.
Apple acquires voice app startup Pullstring
Apple has agreed to purchase voice app startup Pullstring, according to a report from Axios. The San Francisco-based company was founded by a group of former Pixar executives in 2011 and its technology has been used in everything from interactive voice apps for toys, to Amazon Echo and Google Assistant products.