Apple has quietly made another acquisition of a little-known startup that could bring some big benefits to iPhone and iPad users in the future.
A small France startup called Regaind was reportedly acquired by Apple. The company specializes in using machine learning to recognize what’s in a photo, which could boost some features Apple already created in its photos app.
Apple is reportedly preparing a $1 billion “war chest” which it will spend on acquiring or producing original content over the next year.
That sum is around half of what HBO spent on production last year. The jewel in HBO’s crown is Game of Thrones, which it has aired since 2011. Apple SVP Eddy Cue is reportedly aiming for Apple to offer up to ten new shows, which could rival Game of Thrones in scope.
As part of its renewed focus on original programming, Apple has hired two Sony Pictures Television presidents, Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, for positions overseeing worldwide video-related work for the company.
“Jamie and Zack are two of the most talented TV executives in the world and have been instrumental in making this the golden age of television,” said Eddy Cue, who the two new recruits will report to. “We have exciting plans in store for customers and can’t wait for them to bring their expertise to Apple — there is much more to come.”
Sitting on a cash pile of billions, Apple’s not a company that’s used to being left behind. But when it comes to artificial intelligence, that’s exactly what has happened in recent years. While companies like Google and Facebook led the way with cutting-edge AI, Apple lagged. It was embarrassing for a company in Apple’s position to miss out on the single best tech revolution taking place at the moment.
But during Monday’s WWDC 2017 keynote, Apple went a long way toward making amends.
Apple has updated its Siri design patent in the European Union and Hong Kong to also cover “smart glasses” as a category.
Ahead of a WWDC event where Apple is rumored to be introducing a standalone Siri speaker to take on the Amazon Echo and Google Home smart speakers, the news suggests that Siri could also be a key part of Apple’s future augmented reality plans.
2017’s iPhone 8 will be the first iPhone to boast an OLED display, but Apple’s not stopping it research into future display technologies.
According to a new report, Apple will be producing a small number of trial micro LED screens in the second half of 2017 at a factory in Taoyuan, Taiwan. While this isn’t the kind of production volume necessary for a product, it will give Apple the ability to evaluate whether or not these would be a good fit for future devices.
Apple has acquired an AI company as part of its continued push to embrace artificial intelligence.
The company in question is the Menlo Park-based Lattice Data, which specializes in taking unstructured, “dark” data and transforming it into more useful, structured information. Apple acquired around 20 engineers as part of the deal.
Tim Cook has made no secret about Apple’s interest in augmented reality tech — and a newly published patent application reveals just how seriously the company takes the technology.
The patent application describes techniques for inserting virtual objects into a real environment, or removing real objects from a virtual one, all in real time.
Apple has begun issuing refunds to users who recently purchased the Workflow app for iOS following its acquisition of the company that created it.
Workflow was recently priced at $2.99 in the App Store, but Apple made it free to download as soon as it claimed ownership of DeskConnect, Inc.
Apple “may have over 1,000 engineers working on a project in Israel that could be related” to augmented reality, claims UBS analyst Steven Milunovich in a new note to clients.
Because of this, Milunovich suggests that Apple is viewing AR as one of the next big areas of tech innovation. One possible application could be, “moderate 3D mapping” which might arrive as soon as this year’s iPhone upgrade — along with an AR software development kit.