Apple hasrecently acquired Israeli startup PrimeSense for $345 millions. The name of PrimeSense
may not ring your bell, as I did not know either about the company, but it is
the company that was behind Microsoft’s Xbox Kinnect system.
As a user of the
Kinnect, I must admit that the product is a hit. I have always been surprise to
see how advance the technology was, especially because there has not really
been any mid technology in between.
Apple has
made a smart move. Obviously 3D sensing technology is the future media of interactions
between electronic devices and humans. And
probably they are looming on using this technology for their TV devices they
have been willing to launch for the longest time.
But Apple
may also have some sneaky ideas behind this move: Indeed, the Xbox system is
one of the major success of Microsoft those past few years. Microsoft is still
struggling to find a new OS which would allow him to get some marketshares
back, they are also experiencing problems with their Windows phone, but the
Xbox is rocking.
By acquiring the company that gave Microsoft an edge over the
competition, they may master the cost of the technology, and hence have an
impact on the Kinnect profitability. I can’t help thinking that Apple thought
about it while discussing with PrimeSense.
Tim Cook
hit the headlines with his wishes, writing about some highly innovative launch.
I don’t think he was speaking about a larger Ipad, but probably that this
innovation will include some of PrimeSense technology.