Apple doesn't have a video game system yet, but its $350 million purchase of PrimeSense, an Israeli-based company that specializes in motion-sensing technology, means it now has at least some of the capabilities for one's development, USA Today reported. Founded in 2005, PrimeSense is best known for contributing to Xbox 360's Kinect, a motion-sensing system similar to Wii.
More likely, Apple will use its new acquisition to further develop the products it already has. Some believe it could be the first step in producing an integrative TV, a development that's been rumored for a long time and that picked up steam when it was mentioned in Steve Jobs' biography in 2011. Apple makes a TV, but it isn't yet significantly different than versions from other countries, according to the Washington Post.
In its bag of tricks, PrimeSense has an app that maps out small rooms in great detail, a feature that would, for example, allow users to pick out furniture based only off a photo, according to Bloomberg.
"We can confirm the deal with Apple," Jennifer Kite-Powell, a spokeswoman for PrimeSense, said in a statement, but Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet wouldn't confirm how her company would use it.
"Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans," Hugeut told the Post.
Their most recent purchase that's had an impact on current product was Athentec, acquired in 2012 for $365 million, according to the Post. Apple used Authentec's finger-print detecting software in the iPhone 5s.
"The deal fits Cupertino, California-based Apple's pattern of buying less well-known companies whose capabilities are folded into future products," wrote Bloomberg tech writers, Serena Saitto and David Welch.
Apple has $146.8 billion in cash and investments, according to Bloomberg.
