Apple reported to buy Israeli 3D sensor firm PrimeSense for $345 million

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  • Reply 41 of 61
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post





    Oh well that's different. Once it's listed on Wikipedia. . .image

    Yeah, and I read it on the Internet, too, so it must be true. ;)

  • Reply 42 of 61
    Apple is doing a lot with e-commerce... Especially NFC -- they just killed it with iBeacons.

    The use of the PrimeSense technology, as I described it, has to do with securing/identifying an external device like an iPad cash register with the secure (TouchID) data on your device... "It takes two to tango" securely.

    I suspect I understand it as well as you do!

    I have been purchasing Apple devices since 1978 (Apple ][). I have been observing/working with Apple since 1978 as: costumer; user; dealer/reseller;  supplier;  co-developer on a project •;  OSX Developer;  iOS Developer.


    * This was a Point-Of-Sale replacement for the cash register for Apple Dealers using the Mac and LaserWriter.

    I suspect I understand what motivates people to buy Apple. In my 11 years as a Computer dealer (including Apple) we had international customers such as Daimler/Benz, EMI Thorne, Schlumberger/Fairchild, Intel, National Semi, IBM, Apple, Xerox, HP...


    Our household of 2 adults and 3 teenagers is all Apple currently we use:  3 iMacs;  3 Mac Minis;  an AluBook 17",  3 AppleTVs; 2 Airport Express routers; iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, iPhone 5;  iPhone 4S (2); iPad 4; iPad 3; iPad Mini; iPad 2 (2)... a bunch of older iPhones aPads and iPods...

    Yeah, so... As I stated, the technology, certainly, has applications in games and TV...



    That doesn't preclude the use of the same [or a variant of the] technology for ecommerce. Tim Cook has business training, and a business background. I am sure he is aware of the business potential of this technology.   The purchase of WiFiSLAM supports this as it is aimed at indoor location and navigation -- much applicability to business/ecommerce -- little to TV or gaming UEX.

    It has applications in all 3D Modeling environments applied to Engineering fields in static and dynamic loads, etc, Aerospace, etc. The limiting factor [and necessary one] is where to start and build a broad and deep foundation of markets from Consumer to Enterprise, and public sector markets.

    Oh, yeah... In spades! Just wait until the creatives and technologists gat APIs for this stuff... Take a 3D picture of a thing, animate it and then create a 3D Blender (whatever) model... Then use that to create...

    Do you want to be inside the hamster ball looking out... Or outside the hamster ball looking in... Or both?
  • Reply 43 of 61
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by bro2ma View Post



    Interesting. Looks like this scales down to Leap size

     

    It does: http://structure.io/, recently finished on kickstarter as among the most successful campaigns ever (1290% funded).

     

    Apple obviously wanted Primesense IP otherwise I think they might have made a (much more reduced) offer to those guys. It looks great.

  • Reply 44 of 61
    Once portable and perhaps integrated into apple maps could bring the end to seeing eye dogs for the blind.
  • Reply 45 of 61
    kenluskin wrote: »
    But,  the interactive abilities will allow for much greater range of communication between advertisers and their intended audience.

    If you are  "in the market"  for a new  auto, phone, vacation, whatever,  ads can be targeted to your wishes, which is much  better than ads that are NOT of any interest to you.

    A  more targeted approach to advertising is more efficient, and should be more helpful to the viewer.

    I absolutely agree. If I'm being forced to watch commercials anyway, I'd rather them be targeted towards me. I'd rather see a commercial about the new iPhone vs. a tampon commercial...

    As much as everyone hates commercials, I'm sure people would rather it be towards their interests than not.
  • Reply 46 of 61
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Robin Huber View Post



    What happens to those who are already using what will now be Apple's technology? Presume they are grandfathered in, but could Apple cut them off from future development?



    Sounds like a great buy; hope it leads to more "cool new products" Cook has promised.

    It depends on how their contracts were written whether they can continue to license the technology or if something else will happen. When Apple bough PA semi they had military customers and I believe Apple had to continue to support them. I am not sure if that is still the case today, or those customers have moved on.

  • Reply 47 of 61
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member

    If I was in a Dr office or Hospital and a robot rolled and begin interacting with me, if I could I am walking out. Really who wants a non physical human interacting with you when you are sick. Dr already have a bad rap for having horrible bed side manors, this will just make it worse.

  • Reply 48 of 61
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    maestro64 wrote: »
    It depends on how their contracts were written whether they can continue to license the technology or if something else will happen. When Apple bough PA semi they had military customers and I believe Apple had to continue to support them. I am not sure if that is still the case today, or those customers have moved on.

    From what I've gathered PrimeSense does't have all that much in the way of customers. It looks like the most active was ASUS who had partnered with them on a project. It's said that Apple is in fact paying a premium for PrimeSense if the deal does down for the $350M+ that's being tossed around. Their market value had been pegged at less than $300M. With Samsung also rumored to consider a buy I would imagine Apple would be more than willing to spend a little more than the company looks like it's worth on paper.

    So it seems all the bigger techs are now scooping up what's still available out there for NI startups. Microsoft started it off sometime ago, swooping in to snatch up two of the biggest ones in Canesta and 3DV. Qualcomm went for a purchase of GestureTek. Earlier this year Google bought up Flutter, yet another 3D interface developer. Now it's Apple coming in for their cut with PrimeSense if the rumor is accurate.
  • Reply 49 of 61

    I'm curious to see how they will implement PrimeSense technology in the next generation, and if it will be more groundbreaking (or controversial) than TouchID has been.

  • Reply 50 of 61
    noahjnoahj Posts: 4,503member
    At about 0:48 into the first movie (in the article), they (Qualcom):
    • take a picture of a toy figure
    • create a 3D animated model
    • include it as a character participating in a live game.

    Consider this -- What if you could:
    • take individual pictures of you and your friends
    • create a 3D animated models
    • include you and your friends as characters participating in a live game.

    Or even better, you and your friends as characters participating in a live action movie...

    Or a guided tour of, say Tivoli Gardens or Disneyland Paris...

    Or play soccer with...

    Or ???

    Here are some more videos at 9to5mac:

    [URL=http://************/2013/11/17/apple-reportedly-purchases-primesense-the-israeli-3d-body-sensor-firm-behind-microsoft-kinect-for-345m/]http://************/2013/11/17/apple-reportedly-purchases-primesense-the-israeli-3d-body-sensor-firm-behind-microsoft-kinect-for-345m/[/URL]

    Edit: I have repeatedly tried posting a link to the 925Mac forum that shows some more videos...

    But AI is apparently filtering the URLs???

    Anyway just go to the 925mac.com site.
    You could make a tiny url link. ;)
  • Reply 51 of 61
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post



    Not that it may really mean anything but PrimeSense says the report of Apple buying them is an old recycled rumor.

     

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by akqies View Post





    Do you have a link? The last thing I read was they denied comment.

     

    If either of your two ever read the AI articles you rush to comment on, you’d see that the statement was cited in the article and attributed to Reuters. 

  • Reply 52 of 61
    Quote:


     We believe that we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products we make, and participate only in markets where we can make a significant contribution.  -Tim Cook


     

    Two words…Sensors and Synergy

    Sensors enable devices to understand the world around them.

    Sensors enable us to interact with our devices in new ways.

     

    Once Apple squires the technology and expertise of PrimeSense it will become one of those primary technologies Tim spoke of.

    They can then begin to develop the synergies between PrimeSense's technology and Apple's.

    3D Photography & Scanning

    Mapping & Navigation

    Gesture interfaces

    Gaming

    Security

    Commerce

  • Reply 53 of 61
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Johnny Mozzarella View Post

     

     

    Two words…Sensors and Synergy

    Sensors enable devices to understand the world around them.

    Sensors enable us to interact with our devices in new ways.

     

    Once Apple squires the technology and expertise of PrimeSense it will become one of those primary technologies Tim spoke of.

    They can then begin to develop the synergies between PrimeSense's technology and Apple's.

    3D Photography & Scanning

    Mapping & Navigation

    Gesture interfaces

    Gaming

    Security

    Commerce


     

    The mind boggles at the possibilities of next generation devices from Apple.

  • Reply 54 of 61
    The original iPhone was easy to copy. At this point Apple is now putting it efforts to stand out (more than it already has) from its Android competitors. With features like Touch ID and great design is just the start.
  • Reply 55 of 61
    At the risk of sounding paranoid and conspiratorial (I'm more curious about it than anything else), I have a simple question.

    Is there any possibility of these devices being used to remotely "watch" the room they are focused on? They can "see" in 3D and presumably transmit data and/or video to a connected TV or device (e.g. Kinect). Is it possible to do a FaceTime-like thing with it? Broadcasting the video seen from the device to someone else remotely?

    It's both a bit scary from a privacy perspective, but also a bit exciting to imagine the "collaborative gaming" possibilities, when someone you are playing together with is "in game" right alongside you, even if they're actually half a world away from you.
  • Reply 56 of 61
    Originally Posted by tribalogical View Post

    Is there any possibility of these devices being used to remotely "watch" the room they are focused on? They can "see" in 3D and presumably transmit data and/or video to a connected TV or device (e.g. Kinect). Is it possible to do a FaceTime-like thing with it? Broadcasting the video seen from the device to someone else remotely?



    It's both a bit scary from a privacy perspective, but also a bit exciting to imagine the "collaborative gaming" possibilities, when someone you are playing together with is "in game" right alongside you, even if they're actually half a world away from you.

     

    Kinect does this, plus with night vision. It also listens, 24/7. Apparently no one cares.

  • Reply 57 of 61
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

     

     

    Kinect does this, plus with night vision. It also listens, 24/7. Apparently no one cares.


     

    Ha! Just wait until someone hacks the XBOX network and starts posting videos of people doing strange or embarrassing things in front of their TVs. 

  • Reply 58 of 61
  • Reply 59 of 61
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,310moderator
    Ha! Just wait until someone hacks the XBOX network and starts posting videos of people doing strange or embarrassing things in front of their TVs.

    Some people are quite happy to volunteer these days:

    http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/livestreamed-nudity-and-excessive-profanity-highlights-new-problems-for-ps4-and-xbox-one-8964846.html

    The security shouldn't be much worse than sitting in front of a laptop with a webcam and the number of console owners are far less than laptop owners. It has been done with PCs:

    http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/03/rat-breeders-meet-the-men-who-spy-on-women-through-their-webcams/

    but the payload has to reach the machine and I'm not sure spying on teenage console gamers would be all that rewarding. This is easier via PCs as they have email and browsing and people are used to installing software.

    Now that the consoles are x86, it may be easier to find exploits as it should be possible to virtualize the OS on a standard PC but it would have to be some sort of remote exploit.
  • Reply 60 of 61

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