Apple confirms purchase of PrimeSense for $350m

Apple has confirmed the acquisition of Israeli technology company PrimeSense, in a deal reported to be worth $350m.

PrimeSense produces chips capable of sensing 3D motions and movements, and supplies them to Microsoft for the Kinect sensor for the Xbox 360 and new Xbox One.

It is as yet unclear as to why Apple wanted to buy the company, but the purchase has fuelled certain rumours.

One such rumour is to do with Apple's possible (and endlessly rumoured) TV offering. With 3D motion sensing technology onboard, Apple's iTV could track movements of the user to open up a whole word of Smart TV possibilites.

MORE: Apple 4K Ultra HD TVs in 2014?

The technology could also be implemented into the iPad and iPhone range. In a similar way to Samsung's Air Gesture technology, users could wave their hands over each device for different actions.

However it is used, the technology could be seen on Apple products relatively soon. Apple's last major acquisition was AuthenTec in July 2012. AuthenTec is the mastermind behind Apple's TouchID fingerprint scanner, and made its way to the iPhone in just a year.

What are your thoughts on the recent purchase? Do you have any other ideas as to how Apple could bring the 3D motion sensing tech to the masses? Let us know in the comments box below.

by Max Langridge

Follow whathifi.com on Twitter

Join us on Facebook

Find us on Google+

Max is a staff writer for What Hi-Fi?'s sister site, TechRadar, in Australia. But being the wonderful English guy he is, he helps out with content across a number of Future sites, including What Hi-Fi?. It wouldn't be his first exposure to the world of all things hi-fi and home cinema, as his first role in technology journalism was with What Hi-Fi? in the UK. Clearly he pined to return after making the move to Australia and the team have welcomed him back with arms wide open.