Ahead of its time in the unlimited music streaming industry, Omnifone briefly enjoyed some high profile success in the early 2000s, but recently filed for bankruptcy (August 2016).
Now, TechCrunch has revealed that Apple has picked up some of Omnifone's assets, including some 16 members of staff, and probably some technology to go with it.
A quick analysis of the employee's LinkedIn profiles shows that they have changed employers to Apple, and are working in various roles, including some in iTunes and app development.
While Apple has a history of acquiring technology companies for their assets, this is not a standard acquisition following their usual processes. However, Omnifone does possess a number of patents which might be of interest to Apple, which fuelled speculation that they might have bought out the company for 10 million.
These were rumours that were swiftly discredited, and notwithstanding recent employee movements, it seems that another buyer was found for Omnifone's component parts that were up for sale through administration.
Apple's current position in the online music marketplace is solid, having experienced 22% growth, according to TechCrunch. Although, this makes it the laggard of Apple's service portfolio.
This would add credibility to the claim that at least some of Omnifone's resources were acquired by Apple, even if a full takeover did not in fact take place.
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