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Apple acquired NeXT in 1996 for $400 to integrate its operating system into the Mac OS X and iOS.
The move also brought back Steve Jobs, who had been fired from Apple previously.
Prior to the deal, Apple was facing potential ruin with declining Mac sales and an outdated operating system.
Apple's 2005 acquisition of FingerWorks, a multi-touch technology startup, proved transformative by providing the core touch interface needed to power both the iPhone and iPad.
It only cost them $30 million but yielded outsized strategic value.
FingerWorks' technology for fluid multi-finger gestures became fundamental to Apple's new mobile OS.
In 2008, Apple bought P.A. Semi for $278 million.
It provided the company with semiconductor design expertise that enabled its shift to its own future chips.
Later they would go on to develop their A-series processors, which have delivered industry-leading performance and energy efficiency across their hardware.
Apple acquired Siri to get a hold of their conversational AI technology.
The move introduced voice-based virtual assistance to your everyday Joe with an iPhone.
Siri was launched on the iPhone 4S in 2011 and it helped spark the AI mania we are living with today.
Apple's $400 million acquisition of Anobit in 2011 was initially surprising but proved strategically vital—as the Israeli startup's flash memory expertise helped Apple reduce dependency on external suppliers—helping to improve storage performance in its devices.
The move also tightly integrated its mobile processors and established end-to-end control over its hardware components.
Apple purchased AuthenTec in 2012 for $356 million and provided them with its cool fingerprint sensor technology.
The new tech helped them develop Touch ID and later influence Face ID.
In 2014, Apple was looking to enter the music streaming market and made a strategic $3 billion acquisition of Beats Electronics and Beats Music to so.
Its iTunes Store's download-based model was declining in usage as consumers were adopting streaming platforms like Spotify.
The acquisition helped them launch Apple Music in 2015.
Apple's landmark $1 billion acquisition of Intel's smartphone modem business in 2019 was done to bring critical cellular technology development in-house.
The purchase gave Apple the rights to over 17,000 wireless patents and a skilled engineering team.
The investment positioned Apple to reduce reliance on external suppliers like Qualcomm giving them even tighter control over their hardware.
Looking to venture into AR/VR, Apple bought NextVR for $100 million.
NextVR specialized in live VR content streaming and volumetric video capture technology—giving Apple engineering talent, IP, and partnerships in the AR/VR space.
The move laid the road for the recent release of its VR headset.
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