Apple Spokesperson Confirms Acquisition of PrimeSense

Though Apple doesn’t often confirm acquisitions to the media, the company made an exception today when company spokesperson Kristin Huguet confirmed to AllThingsD that Apple has indeed acquired PrimeSense, the sensor company directly responsible for the Microsoft Kinect found bundled with the Xbox One, which launched last week.

Though Apple has refused to comment on the amount of money they spent on PrimeSense, sources with inside knowledge of the deal have reportedly confirmed that the deal went down for about $360 million. When asked for more details, Huguet said that “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.”

Apple and PrimeSense have reportedly been in talks for quite some time, however things really got interesting when news leaked that a deal had been struck between the two companies just last week.

Though it’s not directly clear what Apple has in store for the technology PrimeSense brings to the table, one could assume that it’s a natural fit with the company’s Apple TV entertainment box, which has been rumored to be due for an update for quite some time now. Most notably, many have speculated that Apple has been increasingly interested in adding application support to the Apple TV – a place where PrimeSense’s sensor technology would excel, as evidenced by the Kinect.

Apple is also reportedly in development of a dedicated television set slated for release at some point in 2014 or beyond, however it’s not clear in what way PrimeSense’s sensor technology would be utilized in such a project, if at all. Still, PrimeSense opens a world of opportunity for the future of Apple’s product portfolio, and I’m excited to see what comes of it.