Apple(US:AAPL) 量子位·2025-10-11 04:09Core Insights - Apple is in advanced negotiations to acquire the core team and technology assets of Prompt AI, a startup focused on computer vision (CV) [3][21] - The acquisition is not for the entire company but rather a strategic move to enhance Apple's capabilities in smart home technology and visual recognition [17][21] Company Overview - Prompt AI was founded in 2023 and specializes in consumer application visual intelligence [2][7] - The company is based in San Francisco and has a small team of approximately 11 members [10][8] - Its flagship product, Seemour, is an AI system designed to enhance the intelligence of home cameras with spatial understanding and ambient AI capabilities [12][11] Product Details - Seemour can recognize people, pets, and objects, alerting users to unusual behavior and providing descriptions of scenes in natural language [12][13] - The company initially raised about $5 million in seed funding [15] - Prompt AI operates on a "freemium" model, offering basic features for free while charging for advanced functionalities [16] Acquisition Context - The acquisition reflects a trend in the tech industry where companies prefer "acqui-hire" strategies to quickly acquire talent and technology rather than taking over entire businesses [17][19] - Apple has a history of making small, discreet acquisitions rather than large-scale ones [20] Implications for Employees and Investors - Employees not joining Apple will receive lower compensation, while investors may receive partial returns but not full refunds [24][26] - The Seemour service will be discontinued due to the unsuccessful business model, and user data will be deleted with privacy protections [27][28]