Apple reportedly buys UK startup Spectral Edge to improve iPhone photos

Apple has bought UK-based startup Spectral Edge, according to a new Bloomberg report.

While Apple hasn't confirmed the purchase, filings made in the UK show Apple lawyer Peter Denwood was recently named as a company director while other board members have been removed. Bloomberg doesn't know how much the buyout cost.

The move appears to be one aimed at improving the quality of photos that future iPhones take. Spectral Edge reportedly uses machine learning to improve image clarity and color reproduction.

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.

Interestingly, Spectral Edge previously said that its technology can be applied to both hardware and software, suggesting it may arrive as a software update for older or existing phones in the future.

Apple is no stranger to taking multiple shots of a scene and then merging them to create something new and, importantly, improved. Its recently released iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro phones are its strongest yet in terms of photography and it seems intent on making sure that's a key differentiator in the future.