Acquisition

Apple acquires micro-LED display maker LuxVue

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 26, 2016

Apple has acquired LuxVue Technology, a company that makes low-power displays for mobile electronics, according to TechCrunch. Citing sources close to the transaction, the site reports that the iPad-maker has added LuxVue to its hardware innovations team.

Little is known about the deal, and even less is known about the company. Other than its big $43 million in funding, LuxVue has managed to fly under the radar. Patents reveal, however, that it specializes in micro-LED tech that could be used in future iOS devices...

AT&T reportedly considering buying DirecTV for $40 billion

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 20, 2018

Following the news that Sprint is considering buying T-Mobile comes word of another major acquisition. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that AT&T has approached DirecTV to begin possible buyout talks. The deal, the outlet says, could be worth over $40 billion in cash, stock and other assets.

Between DirecTV's satellite business and AT&T's U-verse arm, the move would result in a combined 26 million TV subscribers—which would be second only to the hypothetical Comcast/TWC combination, should that deal go through. So essentially, the two companies would hold most of the market...

Sprint said to be preparing to buy T-Mobile this summer

Cody Lee ∙ May 1, 2014

According to a new report from Bloomberg, Sprint is preparing to acquire T-Mobile this summer. It's a rumor we've heard before, but the outlet says that the carrier has met with a number of banks, and plans to make a serious bid as early as June.

SoftBank and Deutsche Telekom, which own majority stakes in Sprint and T-Mobile respectively, are said to be in 'active discussions' over the buyout and possible CEO prospects. And unsurprisingly, T-Mobile's John Legere is the leading candidate...

Facebook buying Moves app in a bid to join fitness-tracking fray

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

After acquiring virtual headset maker Oculus Rift for $2 billion (the deal got a thumbs-up from feds), Facebook now seems to be moving into the fitness tracking space with news of its latest acquisition, Finnish startup ProtoGeo Oy that created the fitness-tracking app Moves, available free in the App Store.

The development comes amid some major reshuffling in the fitness and health tracking market.

For instance, Nike is currently in the process of shuttering its wearable-hardware division that produces FuelBand-branded accessories and there are rumors that the company is collaborating with Apple on a sensor-laden fitness band that would control other devices via gestures...

Dropbox acquires cloud-based photo management service Loom

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Following the debut of its new Carousel photo and video management app last week, Dropbox announced today that it has acquired Loom, a cloud-based service for storing your photos. The move should surprise no one, as both companies have very similar goals, but it will affect end users.

Starting today, Loom is no longer accepting new users, and the service will officially shut down on May 16. Current users have until then to act if they wish to save any of their photos/videos by either exporting them to Dropbox, with no interruption in service, or downloading them via a zip file...

Google wants to buy mobile payment startup Square, but CEO wants to sell out to Apple

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey's other business venture, the mobile payment startup Square, has a cozy relationship with Apple.

As a case in point, not only does Square develop for iOS first, Apple itself is happy to carry Square's $9.95 credit card reader for the iPhone and iPad and the $99.95 Square Stand for iPad on its web store.

Moreover, some of Square's talent comes straight from Apple, including director of engineering for the iPod, iPhone and iPad accessories, Jesse Dorogusker, who recently left the company to join Square.

After allowing Google to buy smart thermostat and smoke detector maker Nest Labs back in January, pundits have observed that Apple should be wise enough to avoid repeating the same mistake twice. Be that as it may, Apple is said to have mulled an acquisition offer for Square.

The possibility of such a deal has been floated on Wednesday as rumors of both Apple and Google discussing a possible acquisition with Square continue to persist. Although CEO Jack Dorsey would reportedly prefer selling the company to Apple, not Google, a deal with Apple is wishful thinking for now...

Apple purchased speech recognition firm Novauris last year to bolster Siri team

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Just a day after Microsoft unveiled its digital assistant 'Cortana' to rave reviews, news has surfaced that Apple has been making moves to bring its own assistant up to speed. TechCrunch is reporting this morning that the Cupertino company has purchased speech recognition firm Novauris, and the group is now working on the Siri team.

Novauris is highly-regarded in the world of speech recognition. Founded in March 2002 by well-known speech researchers and ex Dragon Systems engineers, the firm's technology is used in a variety of products by companies like Verizon Wireless, Panasonic, Alpine and BMW, and can be operated in both the embedded and server space...

Rumor: Apple buying Renesas SP Drivers to improve iPhone battery life and image sharpness

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

The Japanese business site Nikkei is reporting that Apple is in discussions with chipmaker Renesas Electronics concerning taking over their division that builds mobile display chips, Renesas SP Drivers.

The deal should enable Tim Cook & Co. to bring another technological piece under their roof and help Apple's engineers "improve image sharpness and battery life" on iPhones.

Renesas Electronics is included on the official list of Apple's suppliers. Apple is known for investing in its partners and suppliers when it makes sense. For instance, the company holds a ten percent stake in UK's fabless semiconductor maker Imagination Technologies which provides blueprints for GPUs used in iOS devices...

Facebook is buying Rift headset maker Oculus VR for $2 billion

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Facebook on Tuesday issued a press release announcing it is buying Kickstarter-funded startup Oculus VR for approximately $2 billion in cash and stock.

For those who have been sleeping under the rock lately, Oculus VR is the maker of the Rift virtual-reality headset. This major move reveals Facebook's intent to make use of virtual-reality technologies, not long ago the stuff of science fiction.

The announcement comes just days after the Japanese consumer electronics giant Sony announced Project Morpheus, its own head-mounted five-inch full HD display with a 90-degree field of view that could mainstream virtual reality gaming by connecting to the PlayStation console...