Apple is reportedly looking to purchase the company behind the Kinect sensor, the motion controller for Microsoft's Xbox 360.
PrimeSense, a semiconductor chip manufacturing company based in Israel, licensed the hardware design and chip used in the Xbox 360 peripheral, which allows players to control on-screen action with their movements. However, the Israeli firm hasn't played a part in the development of the built-in Kinect sensor for the upcoming Xbox One console, which was developed entirely in-house by Microsoft.
Further reading Yahoo acquires iPhone video app Qwiki Analysis: The battle for your living room Google homes in on Israel's Waze in $1.3bn deal as it beats off Apple, Facebook and Yahoo
Nonetheless, the firm could be on the verge of another promising partnership, with Israeli newspaper Calcalist reporting that Apple has made a $280m (£185m) bid to buy PrimeSense after a meeting between the two firms on the subject of how the motion sensor technology could be embedded into Apple products.
PrimseSense's 3D scanning technology is currently used in more than 20 million devices around the world including tablets and smartphones, which leads to the prospect that, in the event of the deal going through, 3D scanning could come to Apple's iPhone and iPad.
The Israeli firm has looked to expand beyond the world of video games and entertainment with moves into the retail, robotics and healthcare industries.
Apple is also reportedly looking for "outside help" with development of its wearable "smartwatch" project, commonly referred to as iWatch.
