Apple acquired 20 companies across 2014, the company revealed during its Q4 earnings call. CEO Tim Cook also revealed that seven of these purchases were made during the the fourth quarter.
Of the 20 companies acquired, some are known but many remain unknown. Obviously, Apple’s $3 billion purchase of Beats was the company’s largest of the year (and history), bringing with it both the hardware and software arm of the company as well as on boarding industry talent in the form of co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre.
Other confirmed acquisitions include iPad-publishing platform Prss just last month, streaming service Swell, photography software SnappyLabs and low-power display company LuxVue.
The company has also confirmed the purchase of BookLamp, SpotSetter and Burstly (owner of beta testing platform TestFlight). It’s clear that many other acquisitions were kept secret or went under the radar.
Earlier in 2014, Cook stated that the company is always willing to purchase companies if the fit is right and it is a good use of Apple’s huge cash reserves. The technology from any Apple acquisitions will make its way into the company’s products and services in some form over time.
Which other company would you like to see the Cupertino company acquire? Would you like to see Apple spend more or less? Let us know in the comments…
