Apple acquired LuxVue Technology, a little-known start-up that makes screens displays using next-generation light-emitting diode technology called micro-LED
LuxVue has filed a handful of patents for micro-LED technology, which promises displays that are brighter and use less power than current screens. The company, which is based in Santa Clara, Calif., has raised more than $43 million, including a $25.2 million funding round in December.
An Apple spokeswoman confirmed the deal with the company’s standard response, saying it “buys smaller technology companies from time to time” and generally doesn’t discuss its plans. She declined to comment further. LuxVue didn’t respond to a voicemail asking for comment. Apple didn’t disclose what it paid for LuxVue.
In an interview last month, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said the company is aggressively looking to acquire strategic technologies. “Obviously, we’re on the prowl,” he said. He said Apple had acquired 24 companies in the last year-and-a-half.
In the seven years since Apple introduced the iPhone, the company has taken a bigger interest in controlling key components as a way to differentiate its products. It acquired chip designer P.A. Semi in 2008, allowing it to design its own powerful processors for iPhones and iPads. In 2012, it acquired AuthenTec, which made a fingerprint-sensor technology built into the iPhone 5S.
Apple also has started building a sapphire-crystal facility in Arizona this year, fueling speculation that it may replace the iPhone’s glass displays with harder-to-scratch sapphire.
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