According to the official filings available online, it is clear that the Cupertino company’s latest acquisition is a UK-based startup company called Spectral Edge that focuses on improving smartphone pics. The company’s new director is now the corporate lawyer of Apple – Peter Denwood. This purchase may well help Apple improve the quality of photos taken on iPhones.
Founded back in 2011, Spectral Edge is a Cambridge-based company that provides photography services, namely image, and video processing ones, using machine learning technologies. It was founded by a team of researchers from the University of East Anglia.
There is no information as to the price Apple paid when acquiring the startup; however, Spectral Edge raised about $5 million in funding last year alone.
The key feature of Spectral Edge is that the company uses an artificial intelligence technology called machine learning that makes better, more detailed, and saturated pics by merging infrared images with standard ones.
Apple can definitely benefit from implementing Spectral Edge technologies. The company already uses AI to improve photos taken in low light, and camera abilities are one of the crucial factors for potential customers. Therefore, working on making the experience better totally makes sense.
It’s not new for Apple to buy smaller companies, though. In May, Chief Executive Officer of the company, Tim Cook, said that they had purchased nearly 25 companies by that time.
The technology developed by Spectral Edge might not be used in Apple’s products in the near future; however, it is something to be looking forward to.
