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Apple has acquired Israeli startup Q.AI, specializing in imaging and machine learning for audio interpretation and enhancement, reportedly for nearly $2 billion. This move signals Apple's strategic push to bolster its AI capabilities, particularly in audio hardware like AirPods and potentially the Vision Pro headset, as it competes fiercely with tech giants like Meta and Google.
AI 生成摘要
蘋果公司已收購專精於影像和機器學習、能解讀語音及強化嘈雜環境音訊的以色列新創公司 Q.AI，據傳交易金額近 20 億美元。此舉顯示蘋果正積極強化其人工智慧能力，尤其是在 AirPods 等音訊硬體及潛在的 Vision Pro 頭戴裝置方面，以應對與 Meta 和 Google 等科技巨頭的激烈競爭。
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Posted:
Apple, Meta, and Google are locked in a fierce battle to lead the next wave of AI, and they’ve recently increased their focus on hardware. With its latest acquisition of the AI startup Q.AI, Apple aims to gain an edge, particularly in the audio sector.
As first reported by Reuters, Apple has acquired Q.AI, an Israeli startup specializing in imaging and machine learning, particularly technologies that enable devices to interpret whispered speech and enhance audio in noisy environments. Apple has been adding new AI features to its AirPods, including the live translation capability introduced last year.
The company has also developed technology that detects subtle facial muscle activity, which could help the tech giant enhance the Vision Pro headset.
The Financial Times reported that the deal is valued at nearly $2 billion, making it Apple’s second-largest acquisition to date, after Beats Electronics for $3 billion in 2014.
Notably, this is the second time CEO Aviad Maizels has sold a company to Apple. He previously sold PrimeSense in 2013, a 3D-sensing company that played a key role in Apple’s transition from fingerprint sensors to facial recognition on iPhones.
Q.AI launched in 2022 and is backed by Kleiner Perkins, Gradient Ventures, and others. Its founding team, including Maizels and co-founders Yonatan Wexler and Avi Barliya, will join Apple as part of the acquisition.
The news comes a few hours ahead of Apple’s first quarterly earnings, in which analysts are estimating revenue at around $138 billion. It’s also expected to be the company’s strongest iPhone sales growth in four years.
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