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Apple secretly acquired photography startup Camerai; already using technology in camera systems

The Israeli startup Camerai Ltd. was sold to Apple a year and a half ago for several tens of millions of dollars and was folded into Apple’s computer vision team, Calcalist reports, citing “people familiar with the deal.” Camerai’s technology has already become “a significant part of every Apple camera with an emphasis on augmented reality and video technology capabilities.”

https://macdailynews.com/2020/08/20/apple-secretly-acquired-photography-startup-camerai-already-using-technology-in-camera-systems/

Meir Orbach for Calcalist:

Its founders kept the company in stealth mode throughout its years of existence and even after the acquisition kept media silence and never spoke about the sale or the fact that they now work under Apple.

The company was founded in 2014, by Aaron Wetzler, Erez Tal, Jonathan Rimon, and Moty Kosharovsky, under the name Tipit. At the time of its sale to Apple, it employed 13 workers in Tel Aviv, a majority of whom were integrated into Apples’ office in Herzliya. The company developed photography technology, including advanced capabilities in deep learning and computer vision.

Camerai’s platform allowed app and software developers to create augmented reality and image processing graphics without the need for technical knowledge or writing code. After being integrated into Apple’s cameras it made life easier for developers who wanted to include AR capabilities in their various apps.

Tipit rebranded itself as Camerai in 2018.

MacDailyNews Take: Three things that immediately spring to our collective mind to which Camerai technology could have contributed: ARKit, Portrait mode, and Apple’s Clips app.