Apple Inc Acquires LuxVue: Adding Valuable Talent and Technology to Core Products
Apple Inc Acquires LuxVue: Adding Valuable Talent and Technology to Core Products
Apple has just acquired a 5 year old LED startup known as LuxVue. This micro LED startup has been sold to Apple for an undisclosed amount. This has been the year of acquisitions for Apple Inc. Within the past 18 months, Apple has made over 24 discreet acquisitions.
LuxVue is a California based company. It produces low power micro-LED based displays. It specializes in the field of consumer electronics. Apple has purchased many small tech companies in the past. Apple has maintained that it does not seek to acquire new companies for expanding its market. Instead, its aim is to add to the talent and technology build up of the company to add to its core products as well as R & D activities.
Better and more effective LED displays are required in future devices and Apple aims for this through its recent acquisition. Though the price for LuxVue’s acquisition is not known, certain sources have indicated that the micro LED start-up raised $43 million in venture capital funding.
LuxVue had been rumoured to also be behind the display technology in a sought after update to the Glass accessory produced by Google. Patents owned by LuxVue are the key to making LED displays brighter, better and more energy efficient. With the world’s natural resources diminishing on a daily basis, energy consumption patterns are a very important factor.
LuxVue’s patented technology can lead to LED displays with lower battery consumption. This acquisition could be part of an early indication that Apple is looking for displays for its in-house devices. Currently, this leading company gets its screens from third part vendors including arch rival Samsung.
While Apple Inc is on a prowl for new acquisitions, its CEO has clarified that they are not in a race to spend money or make massive acquisitions. They have emphasized that their goal is to make products that are of the best quality so that they can add to the value of people’s lives. In the words of their CEO, they want to make “best products that enrich people’s lives”.
Apple’s other recent purchases include HopStop, Locationary, WiFiSLAM and BroadMap in the field of map and transit related firms. They have also purchased 3D motion sensor firm Prime Sense worth $360 million. For another $200 million, Apple is said to have acquired a social media analytics company Topsy. Personal assistant app Cue has also been purchased by Apple for at least $35 million. SnappyCam is a burst photo app maer which has been purchased by Apple for an undisclosed amount as has speech recognition company Novauris. Other acquisitions in the last year and a half include chipmaker Passif Semiconductor and second screen app maker Matcha.tv.
LuxVue is a start-up that makes screen displays through technology called micro-LED. This is a next generation light emitting diode technology. LuxVue is based in Santa Clara in California. In the past 7 years since Apple introduced the iPhone, the company has acquired a bigger interest in using technology to produce superior products. When it acquired P.A Semi in 2008, its aim was to have powerful processors for iPads and iPhones.
In 2012, Apple had acquired AuthenTec that is credited with making fingerprint-sensor technology built into the iPhone 5S. Another interesting move by Apple Inc has been the building of a sapphire crystal facility in Arizona this year. This has led to speculations that the Apple iPhone’s displays may now be made of sapphire which is harder to scratch or damage.
Hardware innovations are the in thing and Apple’s latest acquisition of LuxVue is a step in this direction. LuxVue’s technology will be integrated into Apple’s hardware for better screen brightness and greater battery life. LuxVue has also filed several patents on micro-LED technology recently. It is making rapid breakthroughs in the field of display technology. As always, Apple Inc strives to boost its capacity to make better, more energy efficient products. The ultimate result is that Apple products do enrich the lives of their customers.
