Apple acquires Israeli 3D chip developer PrimeSense

Apple Inc has bought Israel-based PrimeSense Ltd, a developer of chips that enable three-dimensional machine vision, the companies said on Monday, a move that signals gesture-controlled technologies in new devices from the maker of iPhones and iPads. An Apple spokesman confirmed the purchase but declined to say how much it spent or what the technology will be used for. Israeli media said Apple paid about $350 million for PrimeSense, whose technology powers the gesture control in Microsoft Corp's Xbox Kinect gaming system. "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans," an Apple spokesman said in an e-mail.

via Tech News Headlines - Yahoo! News http://news.yahoo.com/apple-acquires-israels-primesense-350-million-deal-bloomberg-064708810--finance.html