Friday, December 27, 2013

Apple Acquires PrimeSense: How It Will Impact Microsoft



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.