Apple's Shiny New Chipmaker Could Give It a Major Battery Boost

Apple's just acquired Passif, a wireless chipmaker that specializes in making tiny chips that require very low amounts of energy. The deal, it seems, happened sometime in the last few months, reports Jessica Lessin.

What's that mean for Apple? Well, it could indicate that Apple is, in fact, making some type of wearable device. Or, it just means that future versions of its own Ax chips will be even more energy efficient. Battery technology clearly stinks these days and mobile devices are only going to require even more battery power. If the rumors of a wearable from Apple are true, then this shows just how serious the company is about entering the wearables market.

This marks the fourth acquisition for Apple in recent weeks. Last month it was announced that Apple had acquired both HopStop and Locationary to boost its mapping efforts. And in March Apple acquired WifiSLAM, a company that specializes in indoor location mapping via Wi-Fi signals. More here.