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Apple Reportedly Acquiring Streaming Video Firm Color Labs

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Apr 12, 2001
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Just after the revelation that Apple has acquired Web app startup Particle, The Next Web reports that Apple is also in the process of acquiring Color Labs. Color, which raised a substantial $41 million round of financing even before launching last year, arrived as a photo sharing service that has since morphed into a streaming video service.
We've heard through trusted sources that the startup was nabbed for a price that is in the 'high double digits', as in millions, and that the deal is 'done', though papers have yet to be signed.
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VentureBeat reported earlier today on an email sent to at least one employee of the company stating that the company leaders had "voted to wind down the company", but Color quickly issued a brief statement claiming that it was not in the process of shutting down.

Color was founded by Bill Nguyen, who was also behind Lala Media, the streaming music service that was acquired by Apple in late 2009. The Next Web speculates on why Apple may also have been interested in Color:
As to why they'd want Color Labs? We would look to Color's patents, which may include ones for a file format that they were working on to record HD video. Or it's software engineering team, if Apple was impressed by their work.
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Apple and Color have not yet responded to requests for comment on the situation.

Article Link: Apple Reportedly Acquiring Streaming Video Firm Color Labs
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2012/10/17/apple-reportedly-acquiring-streaming-video-firm-color-labs/
Funny, we interviewed Nick Woods from Color Labs in August. What a coincidence it's in the process of being bought by Apple.
 
Ha! Daring Fireball was just ripping on them again, apparently unrelated to this rumor. Seems there may be an Apple-related story in there by coincidence!

(The Color “social media” service itself does seem pretty unappealing and worth ripping on. But if they have other tech...?)
 
nagromme said:
Ha! Daring Fireball was just ripping on them again, apparently unrelated to this rumor. Seems there may be an Apple-related story in there by coincidence!

(The Color “social media” service itself does seem pretty unappealing and worth ripping on. But if they have other tech...?)
Click to expand...

Saw that too. Similar 'meh' response to what I can see of the concept.

That's not saying they don't have anything valuable, but it is rare for start ups to be valuable for their IP rather than their products.
 
interesting!

verizon iphone users can't do simultaneous voice and data, but you currently have to be a verizon iphone user on facebook to broadcast with audio via color.
 
nagromme said:
Ha! Daring Fireball was just ripping on them again, apparently unrelated to this rumor. Seems there may be an Apple-related story in there by coincidence!

(The Color “social media” service itself does seem pretty unappealing and worth ripping on. But if they have other tech...?)
Click to expand...

The social app was a complete dog but they could have some interesting technology. Would be interesting if Apple bought them for the tech.
 
You gotta be kidding me. Color is a laughing-stock in the tech industry. Millions in venture capital, nothing to show for it, and the CEO has gone AWOL in Hawaii. And Apple is going to buy them?? This has got to be a joke. Or Tim's head needs to be examined.
 
petsounds said:
You gotta be kidding me. Color is a laughing-stock in the tech industry. Millions in venture capital, nothing to show for it, and the CEO has gone AWOL in Hawaii. And Apple is going to buy them?? This has got to be a joke. Or Tim's head needs to be examined.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Dot com bubble all over again?
 
Color is a joke. They've reinvented themselves several times already and every time they come out with a useless/uninteresting concept that nobody really cares about. How they manage to keep gaining funding is a mystery to me, as is why Apple would want anything to do with them.
 
Considering their products are no longer integrated with Google Maps, does anything in Apple's future really matter? :D
 
Hence why I need to start buying shares into these small tech companies, I'd be making a ****load of $$$ with these acquisitions that Apple has been reportedly been getting into. :eek:
 
They definitely want a better encoding patents for video. Compressing video is difficult, and with bandwidth constraints/costs in the near feature any competitive advantage counts. Plus they could make a few dollars off licensing.
 
Sounds like QuickTime Broadcaster except that QuickTime Broadcaster hasn't been updated since 2009.

When I downloaded it on my 13" 2012 MacBook Pro, it wouldn't let me open it because it said it came from an untrusted developer (I downloaded it directly from apple.com). I had to turn off Gatekeeper to open it. And it doesn't work. At all. And there's no tech support for it, even with AppleCare. And Apple doesn't seem to care enough about it to add it to the App Store.

I'd prefer Apple work on some of their core technologies in OS X, but I'm guessing this will be the foundation for more FaceTime features on the iPhone.
 
Lala

I'm still waiting for Apple to do something with Lala.
If I remember right, they paid 100 million for it.

I used to use it and missed it after Apple shut it down. It's been a couple years, you would have thought something would have happened by now.
 
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