Apple has bought a personal assistant iPhone app called Cue for between $40 and $60 million, according to a report from TechCrunch. Originally called Greplin in the App Store, Cue specialized in using data from multiple social networks and users accounts to create a daily agenda. Cue recently pulled its app saying “the Cue service is no longer available.”
Cue was doing Google Now-like contextual notifications before Now and Siri were introduced. The purchase of Cue probably has something to do with enhancing the contextual awareness of the iOS calendar and Siri itself.
AppleInsider originally reported that Cue had been purchased, but the site was unable to separately verify the information. TechCrunch has chimed in saying Dropbox also considered buying the app at one point.
If you’re wondering how Cue could be implemented in iOS now, the new “Today” view in iOS 7’s Notification Center is a perfect example. The feature is pretty barebones right now, and Cue specialized in connecting the dots within a daily schedule. For example, if you were going to a concert, you could see contact information for who you’re going with, the location of the venue, a link to view your tickets, and other relevant data.
When asked about the rumor, an Apple spokesperson told CNET that “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.” That’s the company’s typical response for acquisition news, so it’s about as close to a confirmation as we’ll get.
Update: AllThingsD has also heard that Cue was bought by Apple.
Source: TechCrunch