Apple confirms PrimeSense acquisition, deal rumored to be worth $360M

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
An Apple spokesperson on Sunday confirmed a rumor that the company has purchased Israeli 3D sensor firm PrimeSense in a deal rumored to be worth some $360 million.

PrimeSense
PrimeSense's Carmine short-range sensor.


Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet has confirmed the company's buy of Israel-based 3D motion sensor and machine vision outfit PrimeSense, reports AllThingsD. Sources familiar with the matter claim Apple paid about $360 million in the deal.

"Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans," Huguet said.

Rumors asserting Apple's interest in PrimeSense first appeared in July, when it was reported that the two parties were in "advanced talks" over a possible takeover. At the time, the price tag was pegged at $280 million.

Last week, Apple had supposedly finalized the purchase details at a cost of $345 million, with the deal expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

PrimeSense creates sensors, specialized silicon and middle-ware for motion sensing and 3D scanning applications. Most notably, the company's infrared motion tracking technology was used in the development of Microsoft's Kinect sensor, which is sold as an accessory for the Xbox 360.

In addition, other PrimeSense tech is currently being used by Matterport's 3D full-color 3D scanner, as well as iRobot's Ava healthcare robot. In both cases, the firm's sensors are utilized to create a visual model of its environment, to be used by hardware in unique ways like navigation and human interaction.

Apple is investing heavily in Israel-based tech firms. The PrimeSense buy comes after the Cupertino, Calif., company purchased flash memory component maker Anobit in 2011 for $400 million. Following that buy, Apple expanded operations in the region by adding research and development centers in Ra'anana and Haifa.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 78
    So iOS 8 user only needs to wave instead of touch.
  • Reply 2 of 78
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    mubaili wrote: »
    So iOS 8 user only needs to wave instead of touch.

    That was my second thought after the obvious Apple HDTV HW. The current solutions on mobile devices by other vendors aren't very good.
  • Reply 3 of 78

    Boom there it is !  I knew it was true.

     

    I made wikipedia's list...

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisitions_by_Apple

     

    Cool technology...

    image

  • Reply 4 of 78
    Originally Posted by mubaili View Post

    So iOS 8 user only needs to wave instead of touch.

     

    What a horrible future.

  • Reply 5 of 78
    dnd0psdnd0ps Posts: 253member
    Samsung will copy it, then complain about apple patenting natural gestures
  • Reply 6 of 78
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleSauce007 View Post

     

    Boom there it is !  I knew it was true.

     

    I made wikipedia's list...

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisitions_by_Apple

     

    Cool technology...

    image


    Interesting video and cool technology, for sure. Perhaps I am slow, but I don't follow your post.

     

    What was it that you knew that "was true"?

     

    "I made wikipedia's list..." Who is the 'I' that made the list?

  • Reply 7 of 78
    Television is too small and boring. Everyone wants Apple to develop a televisiono. I believe Apple is thinking about television, but I really believe Apple is going to a different destination first.

    On August 20th, Mikey Campbell wrote the following article... [URL]http://iphone.appleinsider.com/articles/13/08/20/apple_patents_3d_gesture_ui_for_i[/URL]

    One of my responses included... "Homeowners could generate 3-D models of their houses based on aerial photographs, and add the 3-D models to a map application.

    By providing a convenient and intuitive way to generate and modify 3-D objects based on 2-D objects and photographs, a 3-D model of a community or an entire city could be generated through the cooperation of the residents of the community or city, each individual using the device to modify computer-generated 3-D models of buildings or landscapes that the individual is familiar with."

    I hope Apple is ready to move the 3D needle forward!
  • Reply 8 of 78
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    solipsismx wrote: »
    That was my second thought after the obvious Apple HDTV HW. The current solutions on mobile devices by other vendors aren't very good.

    AKA Apple TV
  • Reply 9 of 78

    Creepiest logo I've seen in a very long while.

  • Reply 10 of 78
    This is the most exciting Apple acquisition or even apple news I've heard in a long time. This is exactly what apple should be doing, and everyone knows the possibilities that can come from this.
  • Reply 11 of 78
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by daveinpublic View Post



    This is the most exciting Apple acquisition or even apple news I've heard in a long time. This is exactly what apple should be doing, and everyone knows the possibilities that can come from this.

    No, everybody doesn't know the possibilities that can come from this.

  • Reply 12 of 78

    So what happens to Microsoft Kinect now since Apple brought Prime Sense ?

    Would they discontinue providing the tech to Microsoft ?

  • Reply 13 of 78
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    nikilok wrote: »
    So what happens to Microsoft Kinect now since Apple brought Prime Sense ?
    Would they discontinue providing the tech to Microsoft ?

    I read elsewhere that Microsoft is using a sensor developed in-house for their new console, so PrimeSense isn't part of that.

    I know of the PrimeSense sensor mainly through the fact that it's pretty popular for low-end 3D scanning. It's built into at least half a dozen products designed for 3D scanned objects (Occipital Structure, 3D Systems Sense), or otherwise used for that task (MS Kinect, Asus Xtion).
  • Reply 14 of 78
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    solipsismx wrote: »
    That was my second thought after the obvious Apple HDTV HW. The current solutions on mobile devices by other vendors aren't very good.
    Hey, welcome back! Hope you had a good break.
  • Reply 15 of 78
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post





    I read elsewhere that Microsoft is using a sensor developed in-house for their new console, so PrimeSense isn't part of that.



    I know the PrimeSense sensor mainly through the fact that it's pretty popular for low-end 3D scanning. It's built into at least half a dozen products designed for that, or otherwise used for that task.

     

    And does there in-house sensor perform as good as Prime Sense's sensor ?

     

    And more importantly , would Microsoft's in-house sensor technology come out as a copy of Prime Sense's tech ?



    Does Prime Sense hold patents to there tech ?

  • Reply 16 of 78
    Trying to figure out the timestamp for this article. It was apparently posted about 7:30 pm EST, Sunday, but the date lists it as Monday, November 25th. Are posts made from Europe? I had always assumed that A.I. articles were posted from the United States, although I guess that doesn't have to be true.
  • Reply 17 of 78
    jeffdm wrote: »
    I read elsewhere that Microsoft is using a sensor developed in-house for their new console, so PrimeSense isn't part of that.

    I know of the PrimeSense sensor mainly through the fact that it's pretty popular for low-end 3D scanning. It's built into at least half a dozen products designed for 3D scanned objects (Occipital Structure, 3D Systems Sense), or otherwise used for that task (MS Kinect, Asus Xtion).

    I'd like to know what this company has in terms of patents and if Apple gets the better part of the deal compared with the in-house solution created by Microsoft.
  • Reply 18 of 78
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post

     

    Interesting video and cool technology, for sure. Perhaps I am slow, but I don't follow your post.

     

    What was it that you knew that "was true"?

     

    "I made wikipedia's list..." Who is the 'I' that made the list?


    Meant to write that "It"  (The acquisition) made the Wikipedia list of Apple acquisitions.

    I should have  put a smiley at the end. :)

  • Reply 19 of 78
    I was in Israel in June and the drive up the Mediterranean coast from Tel Aviv to Haifa now resembles the Silicon Valley with Apple, Microsoft, Intel, etc. heavily present in shiney new buildings, sometimes in more than one location. Lot of invention going on, in tech and in the medical-technical sphere. Quite amazing.
  • Reply 20 of 78
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post





    That was my second thought after the obvious Apple HDTV HW. The current solutions on mobile devices by other vendors aren't very good.

    Where have you been Sol?  Didn't go Android I hope.

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