Apple mulled gobbling its Brit GPU designers – but didn't like the taste Apple was considering buying Imagination Technologies – designers of the PowerVR graphics processors in its iPhones and iPads – but walked away from the deal. In a statement today via Imagination and the London Stock Exchange, the Cupertino giant said: "From time to time, Apple talks with companies about potential acquisitions …
Apple already owns a reasonable stake in Imagination Technologies and it wouldn't be the first time they've bought such an outfit
Buying PA Semi didn't work out as intended though. The acquired staff didn't like being Apple drones, left, set up another start up called Agnilux, got bought by Google. For all I know they then probably retired in comfort having twice been given enormous sums of cash by major outfits for their company, and now reminisce about the good old days of DEC Alpha.
Sounds like another example of a big tech company driving too hard a bargain with a smaller company who basically had no choice but to go along with a stingy deal. GPU designer to Apple; that ought to be a recipe for commercial success. Bit like sapphire glass screens?
If Apple want the staff they'd best buy quickly - the good ones will be walking out the door v smartish if they think their employer is in trouble.
Apple hired a bunch of GPU guys a few years ago, and there have been persistent rumors they are designing their own GPU for their SoC just like they have done with their CPU since 2012.
If Apple uses their own, they won't need Imagination's PowerVR any longer, and since Imagination has few other (much smaller) customers, they likely can't survive the loss of Apple as a customer. Apple might be interested in buying them for their patents, because designing their own GPU instead of licensing one will open them up to potential suits from NVidia, AMD, and others. Having some of their own graphics patents would let them offer to extend whatever deal Imagination already has with others and avoid court battles (Apple may need all their lawyers free to defend against the FBI's next salvo)
That might be what they're doing. Maybe when they talked to Imagination they tried to get them to take the offer now, rather than waiting around for them to go bankrupt and buy it for pennies on the dollar later.
Imagination has more value for Apple today, because it includes not only IP but some top engineers they'd probably like to hire. If the ship is sinking, the good engineers are already polishing their resumes and Apple probably has some sort of non-compete that prevents them from hiring Imagination engineers. The best way to get those good engineers is to buy the company, but I guess the directors must think the company is worth more than Apple does.
If the company is sinking because of Apple (i.e. they have their own GPU design now) then Apple can afford to wait. If the company is sinking for reasons that have nothing to do with Apple, then Apple can't sit around and wait too long or all the best engineers will have fled.
Although Norway is the only country with greater DAB penetration per household than UK, in 2015 DAB sales grew in all European markets where it is available compared to 2014 and 2013.
In Italy and the Netherlands, more DAB receivers were sold in 2015 than all preceding years combined.
I said take up, not use. As for citation - look at the data. It is now 20 odd years since it first came out and look were it currently is at.
As for DAB + take up in Netherlands and Italy, how much of this is down to Car radio fitment?
I repeat. Pure is, for Apple, a relatively small market and isn't such a worldwide phenomena. In the US, or other larger land masses, the amount of masts that would be needed would be far too high for a reasonable penetration where traditionally lower power AM allows for larger penetration areas for a much reduced cost. In fact, in those areas, internet access is far more convenient, and so streaming is more applicable.
As for DAB + take up in Netherlands and Italy, how much of this is down to Car radio fitment?
New cars with DAB in Italy 3% compared to 61% in the UK. Car data for Netherlands not available but it looks like car fitment is not the take up (but what if it was)?
But the assertion was not that it isn't a big enough deal for Apple to be interested in, but that DAB in Europe is dwindling, when in fact the opposite is true.
People often find it fun to work in a small company, fun that can evaporate when sold (like they're the livestock that came with the farm) to a larger organisation.
The talented people "bought" in this way are the ones who can easily move elsewhere. The buyer may call them into the new fold, but
"Why, so can I, or so can any man; But will they come when you do call for them?"
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024
