Apple
Apple decided to accelerate the pace of acquisitions by buying Burstly, a company that helps developers create apps for smartphones and tablets. The takeover, first reported by TechCrunch, was confirmed last Friday by Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet.
Burstly’s product, TestFlight, is used by application developers to test their software with small groups of customers. The Santa Monica, California-based start-up also offers a solution to help developers make money through advertising.
The underlying technology that Apple acquires in transactions is often used to improve existing services or for future products. In 2012 Apple bought the fingerprint security company AuthenTec, whose technology was recently integrated into the new iPhone 5S. In addition, the acquisitions of shipping companies (Locationary and Embark) were used to improve its Maps mapping software.
The Cupertino firm therefore sticks to its strategy of acquiring small businesses, while internet giants Google and Facebook make buyouts of several billion dollars (read: Facebook buys WhatsApp for 16 billion dollars) . The terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.