Categories: Tech & Society

Apple Acquires Indoor Location Company WiFiSLAM for $20 Million

The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has acquired indoor location company WifiSLAM for a huge $20 million. Apple has confirmed the purchase, but declined to offer any details on its plans for the acquisition.

An Apple spokesman confirmed the deal saying the company “buys smaller technology companies from time to time” and generally doesn’t discuss its plans. He declined to comment further. WifiSLAM could not immediately be reached for comment.

The two-year-old startup has developed ways for mobile apps to detect a phone user’s location in a building using Wi-Fi signals. It has been offering the technology to application developers for indoor mapping and new types of retail and social networking apps. The company has a handful of employees, and its co-founders include former Google software engineering intern Joseph Huang.

Apple has been trying to take on Google and this move brings in more arsenal to Apple. Apple has acquired smaller startups with location expertise like  Placebase, Poly9, and C3 Technologies. With its purchase of WifiSLAM, Apple seems to be adding a new focus on indoor location tracking.

WiFiSLAM is a two year old startup that has developed ways for mobile apps to detect a phone user’s location in a building using Wi-Fi signals. It has been offering the technology to application developers for indoor mapping and new types of retail and social networking apps. The company has a handful of employees, and its co-founders include former Google software engineering intern Joseph Huang.

Team TechPanda

Recent Posts

Misinformation & deepfakes help weaponize AI: Should AI be as open as the internet then?

The ability for AI to spread misinformation has been reaching hair-raising lengths, another and possibly…

1 day ago

What employees want: Not everyone feels ready to flow with AI at the workplace

Artificial Intelligence is everywhere now. It’s safe to say that organizations have either fully adopted…

4 days ago

Are business markets safe from Grok AI?

With the rise of advanced AI models such as Grok AI developed by Elon Musk's…

5 days ago

Geek Appeal: New gadgets & apps on the block

The Tech Panda takes a look at recently launched gadgets & apps in the market.…

6 days ago

Beyond points: How tokenized rewards are revolutionizing customer engagement

With the modern-day competitive business world, customers' engagement stands on the top agenda of every…

6 days ago

Indian Air Force obtains BLE tool tracking system to enhance airbase safety

In a significant move to modernize airbase operations, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is going…

1 week ago