Apple buys Israeli company that created original Xbox Kinect

For the second time in less than two years, Apple has purchased an Israeli company, confirming the deal on Nov. 24. This time, it's PrimeSense Ltd., which created the 3D sensing technology used in Microsoft's original Xbox Kinect.

What one designer, Guilherme Schasiepen,
imagines the iTV could look like.

Although Apple has not confirmed the purchasing price, it's been reported to be around $350 million (US).

Last year, Apple bought the Israeli flash memory development company Anobit for about $390 million.

As is often the case with Apple, the rumour mill is hard at work, though the tech giant won't confirm its plans for the technology. For a long time, analysts have been predicting the release of a motion-controlled Apple iTV — not the small AppleTV box that connects your regular set to the Internet, but an actual television.

The sensing technology has a range of 0.8m to 3.5m, but it's not optimal for outdoor use, which all but rules out the chances that Apple will apply it to smartphones and makes the TV set seem even more likely.

But as with all tech rumours, it's a matter of time before we see what the company has planned.