EMERGING TECH
EMERGING TECH
EMERGING TECH
In a potential boost for iPhone’s camera, Apple has quietly acquired quantum dot startup InVisage
The next iPhone may pack a surprise under the hood.
Following several weeks of rumors, Apple Inc. on Thursday gave TechCrunch tacit confirmation that it has acquired InVisage Technologies Inc., a startup focused on developing miniaturized image sensors. The mobile giant issued the go-to statement that it provides when one of its low-key acquisitions is brought to light: “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.”
In case that may not be sufficient proof, there are several details that seemingly confirm the acquisition. For starters, several former InVisage employees have updated their LinkedIn profile to show that they now work at Apple. And several investors now list the startup as an exit on their websites.
InVisage has raised about $98 million in funding to commercialize a homegrown image sensor for small form factor cameras. Dubbed QuantumFilm, the product is made up of so-called quantum dots, a technology that TV makers have started using in recent years to improve color quality. InVisage’s site claims that its implementation is based on a “newly invented class of materials” formed into a light absorbing film 10 times thinner than silicon-based alternatives.
It’s no wonder why the startup has caught Apple’s interest. If the claims on InVisage’s site are to be taken at face value, QuantumFilm could help the iPhone maker build cameras that are both sharper and smaller than current technology.
Conserving space has become a particularly big priority for Apple lately. A recent teardown of the latest iPhone X revealed that the device’s logic board is split up into two parts stacked atop one another to free up room within the chassis. If the pieces were to be laid out side-by-side, they would be 35 percent larger than the iPhone 8’s board.
The acquisition of InVisage could give Apple a new edge amid rumors that rival Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is working on a stacked motherboard as well. It’s not known how much the iPhone maker paid for the startup, but the fact that InVisage has raised nearly $100 million would suggest the price tag was quite considerable.
Image: Apple
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