Apple could have had Kinect but was a 'pain in the ass'

Posted by Harshad

Apple could have had Kinect but was a 'pain in the ass'

Posted: 06 Nov 2010 10:50 PM PDT

CultofMac is reporting today that Apple was first offered the technology behind the newly launched Kinect motion control system, but they were too much of a "pain in the ass" for a deal to work.

The site reports of a flight from Europe to San Francisco where the editor had a chance to meet with Inon Beracha, the CEO of PrimeSense, the company behind Kinect's motion control tech.

Engineers in the Israeli military created the technology and Beracha was trying to find a big time partner to commercialize it. The company expected it to "revolutionize" gaming and computer interfaces.

PrimeSense was shopping the tech in 2008, and went first to Apple, who seemed like a "natural" fit.

However, Apple, in Apple-esque fashion, asked Beracha to sign tons of NDAs (Non-Disclosure Agreements) and legal agreements which the CEO would not agree to, saying the tech was "so hot" he could sell it to anyone.

"Apple is a pain in the ass," he concluded, with a smile.

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Microsoft CEO sells $1.3 billion worth of shares

Posted: 06 Nov 2010 10:19 PM PDT

On Friday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer sold $1.3 billion worth of his shares in the company, while downplaying any worries that he was planning to leave the company or had lost faith in its future.

The sale will reduce Ballmer's share in the software giant by almost 12 percent.

Ballmer also noted that he will sell hundreds of millions worth of more shares by the end of the year as the 54-year old exec is planning to "diversify his investments and plan for taxes," says Reuters.

Says the CEO: "Even though this is a personal financial matter, I want to be clear about this to avoid any confusion. I am excited about our new products and the potential for our technology to change people's lives, and I remain fully committed to Microsoft and its success."

Ballmer started in the company as a business manager in 1980, becoming CEO in 2000.

The CEO sold 49 million shares and plans to sell another 26 by the end of the year. After the sales, Ballmer will still have over 325 million shares of the company, which is currently trading at $26.85 a share.

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