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Apple acquires Israeli camera tech firm LinX for estimated $20M

LinX

Apple has reportedly bought Israel-based camera technology firm LinX Computational Imaging Ltd, The Wall Street Journal reports. According to the report, the acquisition may have been for an estimated $20 million.

LinX specializes in producing “miniature multi-aperture cameras designed for mobile devices.” Apple’s motivation for purchasing the firm would clearly be to improve the camera technology on mobile devices including the iPhone.

Specifically, LinX’s camera technology aims to achieve SLR-level quality photography from a mobile device using a system of multiple lenses rather than relying on a single, extended lens.

In a press release announcing the multi-lens system last year, LinX described the problems their sensor overcomes:

The engineers at LinX have solved all problems associated with combining multiple images captured from different points in space such as registration errors and occlusion related artifacts which are seen on competing technologies.

The LinX cameras are artifact-free, even when objects appear at very short range.

During the registration process between the images, the LinX software extracts very accurate depth information for each pixel and creates a depth map. The software creates true depth information on high contrast objects and on near flat surfaces, such as walls, which are traditionally considered difficult for passive stereo systems. The accuracy and resolution of details in distance maps created the opportunity to use the suggested algorithms for 3D reconstruction.

Photography examples previously available on LinX’s site highlight the indoor and low light performance of LinX’s sensor compared to the now-old iPhone 5 and Galaxy S4 cameras.

Apple has now confirmed the acquisition to the WSJ:

Apple confirmed the acquisition with its standard statement when it has bought a company. “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans,” said an Apple spokesman.

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Comments

  1. friarnurgle - 9 years ago

    Looking forward to a flush iPhone camera

    • Gazoo Bee - 9 years ago

      Me too. I need to buy a new phone this season, but if the camera on the iPhone 6 “mini” isn’t flush, I’m going to go with the iPhone 6c instead. If I wanted an ugly bump on my phone, I’d buy a Samsung.

      • rogifan - 9 years ago

        You’re going to buy something that doesn’t exist?

      • Gazoo Bee - 9 years ago

        @rogifan Both *wil* exist. Tim promised me.

        Besides which, we’ve already seen leaks of the iPhone 6c housing. It could even be announced at the WWDC.

      • itguy37 - 9 years ago

        Really? A phone bump stopped you from buying a phone. I’ve never meet an iPhone user who doesn’t put their phone in a case. so why would a bump bother you? You don’t even notice it. Plus the iPhone 6 is difficult to hold without a case, it’s too thin.

    • gigglybeast - 9 years ago

      With a leather Apple Case, the bump is a total non-issue. I want better indoor photos. All phone cameras are still pathetically weak in anything but good lighting conditions. Indoor pictures with my 6+ suck. Anything Apple does to improve performance is welcome.

  2. Michael Perry (@Alticus) - 9 years ago

    Well here’s the credibility people were asking about when the rumors started spilling months ago that the next iPhone would have SLR like quality and be the hugest jump in camera phone tech in iPhone history.

  3. I don’t doubt the acquisition but this is the second 9to5Mac article I’ve seen in the last 2-3 weeks to use the following Apple quote to “confirm” the article’s accuracy. That statement in and of itself does not confirm anything…

    “Apple confirmed the acquisition with its standard statement when it has bought a company. “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans,” said an Apple spokesman.”

  4. Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 9 years ago

    Couldn’t this be related to that patent apple had filed with the camera that moved and took multiple pictures to make one high res photo?

    “The engineers at LinX have solved all problems associated with combining multiple images captured from different points in space such as registration errors and occlusion related artifacts ”

    These guys are doing it with multiple lenses but what if apple wants to use their single sensor that moves and bought these guys because the already solved the “associated problems.”

    I guess another possibility is apple’s plan didn’t work out and this dedicated multi-lense hardware works better.

    • tomtubbs - 9 years ago

      Nice link to computer vision too (think http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/07/11/apples-secret-plans-for-primesense-3d-tech-hinted-at-by-new-itseez3d-ipad-app etc) I’d link acquisition with the acquisition of Primesense too ($350 million, so >15x more money on the table). Apple already futzes with the pictures taken (isn’t just one picture taken like a dSLR or film camera) – and they’ve shown they’re good at DSP. Using multiple sensors to get a better picture seems an amazing technology ripe for iPads and iPhones. And if they ever wanted to give the ATV depth sensing…

      Main thing – they do care about improving the quality of images and video. We’ve had stabilisation, improvement in the sensor – but it seems multiple images being merged into one has a lot more potential than just picking this years new Sony sensor with more MP.

    • Gazoo Bee - 9 years ago

      It seems to me that this patent and design is at odds with the moving lens one. For that reason I think whatever revolutionary camera they end up making, is something that will debut on iPhone 7 and not something we will see on the next iPhone (presumably iPhone 6s).

  5. renncamper - 9 years ago

    As a Bavarian, I especially like the sample pictures.

  6. Milorad Ivović - 9 years ago

    I wish they’d bought Lytro instead. That’s a camera technology which belongs in phones!

    With prisms Apple could mount the camera at right angles to the panel hole and achieve quite a long throw for both zoom and light-field capture, without protrusions.

  7. tomtubbs - 9 years ago

    Wouldn’t rule out that this and Primesense could make a nice fit for an Apple car. With LIDAR and camera on each corner and upfront for Delphi – their recent cross country demo has shown that the main cross-car company manufacturer has the technology getting near to bringing self-drive at the most, more tech into cars at the minimum in the near future. The radar, multiple cameras etc is already in high end vehicles – and Apple’s good at bringing expensive features into more affordable premium products. The car market is huge compared to some of the other ones it is in.

  8. Ilko Sarafski - 9 years ago

    I can only imagine what cameras we’ll have by 2020… completely insane. If we see 4/8k NOW, what we’ll have in 2020? I really love to look in that super near future and think about it. This thing could really push iPhone’s camera into a whole new dimension. But as someone else said before me, we’ll probably see it in the 7, not 6s. Fingers crossed! :)

Author

Avatar for Zac Hall Zac Hall

Zac covers Apple news, hosts the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast, and created SpaceExplored.com.