Apple buys U.K. startup to improve iPhone picture taking: Bloomberg

Apple Inc. acquired a U.K.-based startup, named Spectral Edge Ltd., with technology that improves photos taken on smartphones, according to Mark Gurman, writing at Bloomberg. According to U.K. filings made public on Thursday, Apple corporate lawyer Peter Denwood was recently named a director of Cambridge-based Spectral Edge Ltd., while the startup’s other advisers and board members were terminated.

According to the article:

Spectral Edge uses a type of AI called machine learning to make smartphone pictures crisper, with more accurate colors. Its technology takes an infrared shot and blends it with a standard photo to improve the image…Spectral Edge’s technology could contribute to the AI Apple already uses in its Camera app by continuing to improve the quality of photos in low-light environments. The startup has said its technology can be applied via software or chips. Apple’s latest devices include custom processors that assist with picture taking.