Apple (AAPL) apparently bought Israel’s PrimeSense for about $350 million. Apple has not directly confirmed the acquisition, but spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said in an e-mail: “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans,” which is Applespeak for confirmation of an acquisition. (Globes, an Israeli newspaper, reported the deal over the weekend.)
PrimeSense rose to prominence alongside the release of Microsoft (MSFT)’s initial Kinect gaming sensor used with the Xbox console. The startup built the hardware, including a clever chip that could look out into a living room and see peoples’ body movements. Microsoft added the software and algorithms that made the Kinect really smart.
Microsoft no longer relies on PrimeSense. The Xbox One that hit store shelves last week has a Kinect sensor based on technology that Microsoft acquired in 2010 when it bought Canesta a PrimeSense rival. Canesta had a reputation for having some of the most sophisticated gesture-recognition technology, while PrimeSense was seen more as a savvy assembler of off-the-shelf technology.
Apple is very late to the gesture game. They have begun to acquire affordable, proven technology, but there will be big-time questions about how the PrimeSense gear can evolve and how Apple’s gesture-patent portfolio will match up with those of existing players.
Intel (INTC), for example, has also acquired small gesture-technology specialists and intellectual property the last several years, and Google (GOOG) recently purchased the motion-tracking startup Flutter.
Game consoles and TV makers have been among the most active users of gesture technology. Gesture sensors tend to work better when they’re bulkier and can suck in the most possible light, and they serve an obvious function in the living room as remote-control replacements. One thing is certain, some kind of gesture technology will be a fixture in about every computer and smartphone in the years to come.
