Apple Made Its Second-Biggest Acquisition Ever This Year
Apple this year acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014.
This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019.
Q.ai reportedly developed AI technology that can "analyze facial expressions" to understand "silent speech," paving the way for "non-verbal discussions" with Siri.
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji confirmed the acquisition in a statement. He described Q.ai as "a remarkable company that is pioneering new and creative ways to use imaging and machine learning," and he is "excited for what's to come."
Q.ai co-founder Aviad Maizels previously founded another Israeli startup, PrimeSense, which was also acquired by Apple in 2013. Apple used PrimeSense's technology to develop Face ID, which debuted on the iPhone X in 2017.
Popular Stories
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has high expectations for Apple's first foldable iPhone.
In his Power On newsletter today, he said the foldable iPhone will be "the most significant overhaul in the iPhone's history."
"iPhone 4, iPhone 6 and iPhone X were clearly a big deal, but this is a whole new design," he said.
Like Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7, the foldable iPhone will reportedly open up like ...
iOS 26.5 is now available for developers, and while it doesn't include any new Siri capabilities, there are some major changes for the European Union, and smaller tweaks for features available worldwide.
Suggested Places
In the Maps app, there's a new "Suggested Places" feature that recommends locations to visit based on trending places nearby and recent searches. When Apple launches ads in ...
Apple offers the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max in just three colors – Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue – but notably there's no black option. Last year was the first time Apple's high-end iPhones have not been available with a black or dark gray color option in any way, but those hoping for the return of black this year for the iPhone 18 Pro should look away now....
Popular Stories
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has high expectations for Apple's first foldable iPhone.
In his Power On newsletter today, he said the foldable iPhone will be "the most significant overhaul in the iPhone's history."
"iPhone 4, iPhone 6 and iPhone X were clearly a big deal, but this is a whole new design," he said.
Like Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7, the foldable iPhone will reportedly open up like ...
iOS 26.5 is now available for developers, and while it doesn't include any new Siri capabilities, there are some major changes for the European Union, and smaller tweaks for features available worldwide.
Suggested Places
In the Maps app, there's a new "Suggested Places" feature that recommends locations to visit based on trending places nearby and recent searches. When Apple launches ads in ...
Apple offers the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max in just three colors – Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue – but notably there's no black option. Last year was the first time Apple's high-end iPhones have not been available with a black or dark gray color option in any way, but those hoping for the return of black this year for the iPhone 18 Pro should look away now....
