Apple acquisitions

Apple acquired AI company Ascend.io earlier this year, likely to boost its backend data handling. The now-shuttered company’s LinkedIn page says its goal was to “make data engineering delightful” by using AI and automation to build things faster, more safely and at scale.

Apple for everything from services like iCloud to tracking inventory. Plus, features like Siri AI only work if the data feeding them is clean and organized. Acquihiring a team that automates data-intensive tasks could help Apple deliver better results across the board.

July 28, 2012: Apple buys biometrics company AuthenTec, acquiring the technology that will power Touch ID for authentication and secure payments on the iPhone and other devices.

With a price tag of $356 million, the deal gives Apple the right to use AuthenTec hardware, software and patents. In the short term, Apple engineers start working to build Touch ID sensors into the iPhone 5s. In the longer term, AuthenTec’s mobile wallet tech paves the way for Apple Pay.

Apple just went shopping for a bug hunter. Cupertino scooped up SigScalr, a small startup behind SigLens, an app designed to detect exactly where the software goes wrong — even if the software is basically hundreds of smaller programs working as a single app.

Apple did not announce the acquisition via a press release. It surfaced through the European Union’s paperwork, the same way a lot of Apple’s smaller acquisitions did in the last few years.

But don’t let the quiet rollout fool you. SigLens tackles a problem that’s only getting worse as apps become more complex. And it looks like Apple clearly wants it fixed before it becomes Xcode’s problem too.

Apple’s recently disclosed acquisition of Color.io suggests a renewed focus on rebuilding Cupertino’s creative software suite.

Through a subsidiary, Apple acquired Patchflyer GmbH in January and hired the company’s sole employee, according to an EU filing. Patchflyer developed Color.io, a web-based cinematic color grading platform used by filmmakers and video professionals. And the purchase looks like part of a long-term strategy to win over creatives.

Apple just paid $2 billion for Q.ai, an AI company with technology that could dramatically enhance the Siri voice assistant. It’s a stealth-mode Israeli artificial intelligence startup that develops advanced technologies to improve human/computer communication beyond basic speech recognition.
It’s the second largest acquisition in Apple history.

December 20, 1996: Apple Computer buys NeXT, the company Steve Jobs founded after leaving Cupertino a decade earlier.

The deal costs Apple $429 million. It’s a massive price to pay for the failing NeXT, a computer company that already saw its hardware division crash and burn. But the price is worth it when you consider what Apple gets as part of the deal: the return of Steve Jobs.

Apple reportedly purchased DarwinAI, a small startup previously based in Waterloo, Ontario. The company developed software that might make artificial intelligence systems running on an iPhone or other computer more efficient.

Apple promised that it’ll have big AI-related announcements later this year, and the acquisition will help the company build the necessary software.

Apple Music’s purchase of classical music service Primephonic will give fans of the genre a richer experience, Cupertino said Monday.

Apple said it will work to incorporated the service’s features into a standalone classical app that will launch next year. The company promised high-quality audio, expert recommendations and playlists, exclusive audio content, “extensive contextual details on repertoire and recordings” and other advanced features for classical fans.

Apple reportedly bought more companies developing artificial intelligence technology over the past five years than anyone else. A prime goal is to make the Siri voice assistant smarter, according to GlobalData, the market-research firm that compiled a list of AI-related acquisitions by many companies.

Apple quietly snapped up podcasting app Scout FM, which tries to make podcasting sound more like tuning into radio stations, for an undisclosed amount earlier this year.

Scout FM worked by letting users choose particular topics, then automatically customizing a radio station-like podcasting listening experience for them. It was intended as a way to cut through the findability clutter of hundreds of thousands of available podcasts.

Lawmakers reportedly will quiz Apple on its “copy-acquire-kill” strategy during Wednesday’s congressional antitrust hearing.

According to the Washington Post, this will be one of the areas that Apple will be scrutinized on to see if it has engaged in anti-competitive behavior. “Copy-acquire-kill” refers to buying companies to acquire their innovative features, before killing them to stop other platforms from having access to them.

Before Xnor.ai was acquired by Apple, the startup was working with the US military on Project Maven, a controversial Artificial Intelligence project related to drone imagery. That collaboration stopped when Apple purchased the company, according to an unconfirmed report.

Apple purchased Xnor.ai, a company that creates artificial intelligence software for mobile devices. The acquisition will apparently lead to AI applications running directly on iPhones, iPads, etc., not outsourced to the cloud. This should make these tasks more private and quicker.

Intel Corporation says it has completed a $1 billion sale of most of its smartphone modem business to Apple.

The deal goes down as Apple’s second-biggest acquisition in its 42-year history. Apple will absorb patents, equipment and roughly 2,200 Intel workers.

What’s it like when Apple buys your startup? According to David Hodge, founder of mapping app Embark, the answer is: stressful.

Apple bought Embark back in 2013 as part of its efforts to grow its mapping services. Embark focused on building free transit apps to help people navigate public transportation. In a new series of tweets, Hodge reveals the behind-the-scenes story of the Apple acquisition.

Apple confirms it purchased a company that makes virtual reality and motion capture.software. The acquisition of iKinema could bolster the iPhone maker’s augmented relativity offerings, especially with a set of AR glasses supposedly coming next year.

When Apple sees something it likes, it merely dips into a prodigious cash reserve for an easy purchase.

How easy? CEO Tim Cook says Apple buys a company every couple of weeks.

Apple bought a small startup that created an app that used machine learning to auotomically find news articles users would be interested in.

The acquisition of Laserlike is expected to  bolster Apple’s artificial intelligence efforts.

Apple has confirmed its acquisition of Shazam is now complete, nine months after it was first announced.

The company’s first move will be to rid the music service, which is used more than 20 million times every single day, of pesky ads that most users have to endure. Later on, Apple promises more great ways to discover and enjoy music.

Apple has acquired Pop Up Archive, an online platform that builds tools for transcribing audio files and making them searchable.

One of the startup’s most significant tools is a podcast search engine called Audiosear.ch, which closed its doors November 28. The service issued “Buzz Scores” for podcasts, based on their charting on iTunes and reviews.

Apple has reportedly bought a California startup that developed new image sensor technology that could boost the iPhone’s photo and video capability.

A news website that covers the digital imaging space reported on Apple acquisitions of InVisage, citing unnamed sources that said the deal was completed in July. Some former InVisage employees are already working in Cupertino, according to the report.

Apple may have just made a key acquisition that could help the company create a truly revolutionary augmented reality headset. According to a new report, German eye-tracking company SensoMotoric Instruments has been purchased by an Apple shell company, giving the iPhone-maker access the company’s trove of patents related to eye-tracking glasses and other systems.

Apple has reportedly acquired RealFace, an Israeli startup that developed facial-recognition technology for user authentication.

The news comes shortly after a separate report claiming that Apple is planning to incorporate new biometric security systems into future iPhones starting in 2018.

Rumors that Apple might acquire portable camera maker GoPro caused a 16 percent increase in the latter company’s stock price yesterday — after GoPro shares had fallen 45 percent in the past few months.

When you go to theaters to see the latest Star Wars movie, the special effects — particularly the faces of aliens — will now be driven by Apple technology. That’s because Apple has purchased Faceshift, a Zurich-based company that has created cool tech to capture a person’s facial expressions in real time.