Apple, Inc. achieved another modest milestone when they bought Passif Semiconductor, a communication chip developer in California that focuses in low-power gadgets. Its current products include wireless radios for Bluetooth Low Energy profiles.
On Thursday, Niceties on the purchase were first reported by Jessica Lessin, a tech reporter who formerly worked for the Wall Street Journal.
According to Jessica Lessin, the Apple, Inc. has attempted buying the chipmaker years ago “for mid-tens-of-millions of dollars,” but the price the iPhone maker has paid now is still unknown. Though, the company confirmed about the negotiations but kept mum on the details.
The purchase may be linked to the creation of a foreseen wrist-worn device that is supposed to connect with devices like iPhone while also gauging biometric data for fitness and health purposes, which is rumored to be coined “iWatch”.
Apple has been assertively employing personel from the medical sensor field in an obvious attempt to strengthen and reinforce its team for the rumored “iWatch”. Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-connected analyst of KGI Securities expects such a device to unveil in late 2014.
In an unusual move Epply has even candidly filed for the rights of the “iWatch” name in a number of countries worldwide.
Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, exposed in May that the company had purchased nine companies since October 2012. He also stated that Apple had picked up the pace of purchasing one every 70 days since 2012.
After Cook’s remarks in May, Apple, alongside Passif Semiconductor, has obtained at least two more companies-- HopStop, a public transit and navigation firm, and Locationary, a crowdsourced mapping data startup. While, the acquisition of Passif will help Apple’s future hardware, the benefits of HopStop and Locationary purchases will most definitely be present on the software front, through Apple’s in-house Maps service.
