Apple buy stocks in Imagination Technologies - bring on the improved graphics
Apple are fully aware that they are now contenders in the handheld gaming market and it seems they are taking steps to secure their next generation of graphical integrity as they secure a deal that sees them acquire a 3.6 per cent stake in the UK based chip maker Imagination. The move should see the iPhone and iPod Touch gain strength in the market that they are already strong in.
Imagination is known for excelling in graphics technology which has aided Intel in the past. Imagination Technologies also make Pure digital radios and developed the Digital Audio Broadcasting standard.
AppleInsider have claimed that the deal has been in the making since the beginning of 2008 and now due to the acquisition Apple will be better equipped to deliver a more advanced gaming platform.
A statement from Imagination showed the Apple had indeed boosted their stock in the business as the Press Release claimed, “Apple Inc. is subscribing for 8,200,000 new shares of Imagination Technologies Group plc at 39p per share, the mid market close price on 17 December 2008, subject only to listing and admission of the new shares. Following the share placement, Apple will have an ownership interest of 3.6%. Apple is a licensee of Imagination’s technology.”
A Teathers analyst, Dan Ridsdale, announced that “it gives us further confidence that IMG’s royalty per share from Apple devices should increase as it launches devices on its own chips. (But it is) very unlikely to lead to a takeover in our view, given IMG’s broad licensee base and Intel’s investment.”
Apple has also made the news recently due to their iPhone’s being popular even more for their WiFi capabilities. November saw figures of 8 per cent of advertising requests being made by WiFi networks, up from 4 per cent in August.
Handsets like the iPhone and the Nokia N95 are being hailed as the reason behind the boost and the results are not only being seen in the UK. In the United States the iPhone is the highest selling WiFi enabled handset, providing 9.9 per cent of all advertising requests in the country.
Apple have clearly released a handset that people are starting to realise has almost everything that somebody would want – a little something for everybody. WiFi enabled devices are really taking off and the iPhone has that area covered with their easy browsing functionality. And iPhones have the world of handheld gaming tied up as their innovative AppStore has had users paying anything between nothing and not-a-lot for games they can download and play on their console.
The stake that Apple have just taken on Imagination Technologies has cost the company £3 million will see the iPhone and the iPod Touch move from strength to strength. The investment has also gotten people thinking that Apple may be hoping to bring the magic of Digital radio to the handsets in an attempt to make the iPhone and iPod Touch appeal to more and more users.
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