Apple has acquired Israeli-based camera technology company LinX. The company confirmed on Tuesday that it had bought the firm, which specializes in “multi-aperture imaging technology” for DSLR-quality images.
Word of the acquisition was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, and Apple confirmed that the company had in fact been bought. Prior to the deal being closed, the two companies were said to be discussion an acquisition price of around $20 million.
Apple places great emphasis on the photo taking abilities of its iPhone handsets, and the LinX website states LinX cameras are “significantly smaller than any camera on the market today, leading the way to DSLR performance in its slim handsets.”
LinX cameras boast multiple sensors, and can capture both 2D and 3D images, applications can then use the information in the images to refocus an image after it has been taken.
While Apple’s most recent handsets, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, were released with protruding camera lenses, due to the reluctance of the company to sacrifice the overall thinness of the handsets design, LinX technology could aid in Apple’s quest to shrink the length of the camera. LinX technology takes advantage of several smaller sensors to replace one large sensor, enabling the use of a shorter lens.
