Apple buys PrimeSense, maker of original Kinect

Apple has used a tiny fraction of the 147 Billion they have on hand. They have supposedly bought the company PrimeSense for 345 million, which helped build the original Kinect for Xbox 360. This also adds even more fuel to the fire that Apple is working on an Apple TV, as we have written about on numerous occasions.

This purchase sets Apple up nicely to incorporate the technology with a TV and to offer more value not only to consumers but to game developers as well. Knowing that every Apple TV owner has a Kinect-like device built-in will not only allow developers to use hand gestures to control the device, but it may also allow Apple to know how many people are watching a movie or TV show in that household. One day it may possibly even allow the viewing of movies at the same time as they are released in theatres, but that is definitely a ways off.

Who knows, these technologies may even make their way into iPads or iPhones under the right circumstances. This is another calculated purchase by Apple which tends to integrate the technologies of companies they purchase into products further down the pipeline. We saw this with SIRI and now Touch ID.

Who should Apple acquire next?