One of the world’s most successful brands, Apple is as much a status symbol as it is cult-like. And since it takes many hands to make great work, the companies owned by Apple are also numerous. In 2019, Apple CEO Tim Cook told CNBC that Apple acquisitions happen on the regular, with the tech giant adding one company every two to three weeks on average. The acquisitions by Apple range from music streaming services to maps to software firms. Cook has been at Apple’s helm since 2011 and is a study in leadership.
The brands owned by Apple have equipped the company to become a technological powerhouse with a hardcore fan base that hypes up all products in the Apple partner ecosystem. This helped it become the first company to hit a market capitalization of $3 trillion.
The top companies owned by Apple are listed below:
Often Apple integrates the products made by its acquisitions into its product line, instead of letting them continue as independent brands. As of October 2022, Apple owns approximately 115 companies.
Facing an unstable economy has forced Apple to slow down on its spending. So far, this year only two firms have been added to the list of companies under Apple Inc. — UK based start-ups Credit Kudos, which helps calculate credit scores, and AI Music, which uses AI to generate custom music.
1. NeXT Software
What do you do when a company is fumbling and you want another company’s CEO to take over the mantle? Well, buy out his company of course. At least that is what Apple did when they wanted to bring Steve Jobs back.
After being forced to leave Apple in 1985, Jobs created NeXT, a computer company. One of the most expensive Apple acquisitions at the time, at $400 million, the company was brought to bring Jobs home. Acquiring NeXT also helped Apple get back on track as an innovative computer company by using NeXT technology in Apple products. Its operating system was the foundation for the Mac OS X.
2. Siri Inc.
One of Apple’s products is the iPhone. The tech giant continues to dominate the market with its smartphone and one of its most famous features is the virtual assistant – Siri. The virtual assistant was one of Apple’s acquisitions in 2010. Siri Inc., used to design and produce software.
The company had initially developed Siri as an individual app that can assist people with everyday tasks – getting weather reports, buying tickets, giving restaurant recommendations etc. Apple chose to integrate the technology into its products and achieved unprecedented success. Today, it is one of the most recognizable companies under Apple Inc., and has become known as Apple’s virtual assistant.
3. AuthenTec
AuthenTec, Inc., was one of Apple’s acquisitions in 2012. A computer company dealing with semiconductors, computer security, mobile security, identity management, biometrics, and touch control solutions, it was bought by Apple for $356 million.
The biometric security tool developed by AuthenTec enabled Apple to provide superior technology in its devices. Later, the company was absorbed into the Apple ecosystem and its feature became known as Apple’s Touch ID.
Today, the Apple Touch ID can be used to make Apple Pay purchases in stores, within apps, and on websites like Safari.Out of all the acquisitions by Apple, AuthenTec is probably one of the most technology superior security companies, with over 200 patents covering fingerprint sensors and sensor packaging, software, and end use.
4. Beats Electronics
In 2014, Beats Electronics and Beats Music found a home in Apple Inc. The company met Apple’s vision to redefine music service as Spotify continued amassing followers leaving iTunes struggling. “Music is such an important part of all of our lives and holds a special place within our hearts at Apple,” Tim Cook explained when Apple bought Beats. “That’s why we have kept investing in music and are bringing together these extraordinary teams so we can continue to create the most innovative music products and services in the world.”
The investment has paid off in spades as it helped Apple cement its position amongst services people use to listen to music. With better music streaming and quality headphones, Beats is one of the companies owned by Apple that has become an example of a true marriage between good tech and great vision.
5. Shazam
No, not the Marvel Superhero franchise. We are referring to the app that could identify movies, TV series, music, and advertising when a short sample is played for it, Shazam was created by a London-based company. Rightfully recognizing its potential and global appeal, Apple tried to bring it under the Apple ecosystem.
In September 2018, Shazam became one of the many companies owned by Apple. Its music recognition service has now been integrated into the iPad and the iPhone so that the music recognition feature in iOS automatically syncs with Shazam. In September 2021, Apple announced that the Music Recognition feature in the Control Center had surpassed one billion cumulative recognitions.
From its first acquisition in 1988, Apple has been a driving force in acquisitions and mergers. Apple’s acquisitions clearly show that it is focused on creating an ecosystem with top-notch features and security, no matter which device you use.
