Apple, one of the tech giants in the world right now, is valued at over $3 trillion. It is surprising how far it has grown since then, for something that started as the brainchild of Steve Jobs and Stephen G. Wozniak. The company has gone through highs and lows, it was a commercial success when it first started, and it was dominating the market, most especially in the education sector, as the first personal computer. Then came the period of low sales which led to the ousting of Jobs in 1985. The decline continued till 1996, even after changing CEOs twice. Know more about What Companies Are Owned By Apple?
Steve Jobs was recalled back in 1996, and he rebranded Apple into what it is now. A digital ecosystem that includes laptops, ipads, mobile phones, wristwatches, earpods, etc. On its long journey to success, Apple has acquired a lot of companies. The following list contains some of the acquisitions made by Apple :
- Beats Electronics and Beats Music
- Siri Inc.
- Shazam
- NeXT Software
- AuthenTec
- Mobeewave
- Primephonic
- Drive.ai
- Texture
- InVisage Technologies
Beats Electronics and Beats Music
Beats Electronics is popularly known as Beats by Dre. It was founded by the popular music producer Dr. Dre and Jimmy Lovine in 2006. It is headquartered in California and produces majorly speakers and headphones. It also launched its own subscription-based streaming service called Beats Music. The company was acquired by Apple in 2014 for $3 billion in a cash and stock deal. This is the largest acquisition ever made by Apple in its history. Apple used elements of Beats Music to help build its Apple Music Streaming service, it then shut Beats Music down and transferred its subscribers to Apple.
Siri Inc.
Anyone using an iPhone would know the popular phrase “Hey Siri”. It is used to call up the Apple virtual assistant that can be used to set reminders, play music, search for things on the internet, make a phone call, etc. What some do not know is that Siri Inc. was initially a stand-alone company that was purchased by Apple in 2010 for more than $200 million.
Shazam
Shazam, unlike the popular D.C superhero, is a popular app that helps users identify music that is being played. The parent company of the app which was known as shazam Entertainment limited was founded in 1999. It was acquired on September 4th, 2018 at a price of over $400 million.
NeXT Software
After Steve Jobs was ousted in 1985, he founded a new company and named it NeXT Software. NeXT developed both Software and Hardware. It developed its own computer called NeXT Computer and also developed its own operating system called NeXTSTEP. Apple acquired NeXT in 1997 and also offered Jobs a position in the company as an advisor to the CEO. The acquisition price was over $400 million. Apple also used the NeXT operating system in its Macintosh systems and combined it with the Mac OS.
AuthenTec Inc
AuthenTec was founded in 1998 and headquartered in Melbourne Florida. It was then purchased by Apple in 2012 for $346 million. During the years before its acquisition, it was offering mobile security software licenses to companies that manufactured mobile phones. It has over 200 patents in its arsenal but Apple used it to create its Touch ID system.
Mobeewave
Mobeewave was a Canadian-based startup headquartered in Montreal and founded in 2011. It was a payment services company that specialized in providing a platform that turns any mobile phone that uses Near-Field Communication (NFC) into a payment terminal. Apple acquired it in 2020 for about $100 million. It was seen as a move for Apple to enter the payment services market by creating mobile pay hubs on its iPhones and iPads.
Primephonic
In August 2021, Apple announced its acquisition of the classical music streaming service called Primephonic. It offered an immersive interface and a host of classical music from more than 170,000 artists worldwide. It also had different options such as the search and browse functionality, recommendations, playlists, etc. Since its acquisition, Primphonic is no longer available for new subscribers because Apple will integrate its functionality into its Apple Music when it launches its iOS 15. However, Primephonic subscribers will receive six months of Apple Music for free.
Drive.ai
With Apple’s foray into autonomous driving, Apple acquired Drive.ai in 2019. Drive.ai was founded in 2015 by a group of Masters and Ph.D. students in Stanford University’s Artificial Intelligence class. It is headquartered in California and creates software to make vehicles drive autonomously.
Texture
Texture was initially known as Next Issue. It was a digital magazine app that provided its subscribers access to over 200 magazines in 2012. The app could be accessed from Android, iOS, or from Kindle Fire. However, this changed when Apple acquired it in 2018 for an undisclosed sum. It was then shut down and Apple integrated it into its Apple News+ service.
InVisage Technologies
Ted Sargent founded InVisage Technologies in 2006. It uses QuantumFilm technology to create an image sensor that improves the quality of pictures taken with a mobile phone camera. Apple acquired InVisage Technologies in 2017. iPhone images are regarded as one of the best today.
Apple has a tradition of acquiring relatively small companies and integrating them into its existing line of products. Sometimes, it then shuts down the company. This is something all big companies do and it’s a way to ensure their continued existence and also increase their influence. It is also done to branch out and test ideas for new products. In Apple’s rise to the top, it has acquired more than the ten companies named above.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When did the co-founder of Apple leave?
Stephen G. Wozniak left Apple in 1985 to become a teacher.
- What is the total number of acquisitions made by Apple?
Apple, like every other conglomerate, does not necessarily announce all its acquisitions so one cannot know the exact amount. However, all its known acquisitions are over 100.
