Apple acquires personal assistant app Cue for at least $35M [u]

Apple is said to have purchased Cue, a startup company behind a personal assistant app for iPhone which shut down just this week, AppleInsider has learned [updated with confirmation].

An anonymous tipster claimed on Thursday that Apple is buying Cue, which was formerly known as Greplin, for between $35 million and $45 million. The startup was a Y Combinator venture capital alumnus that reportedly obtained funding from both Sequoia Capital and Index Ventures.

The source shared that although Cue never disclosed their latest funding round, the company allegedly raised $10 million from Index Ventures. The information provided could not be independently verified, and Apple declined to comment.

Update: Later on Thursday, TechCrunch independently confirmed that Cue has in fact been purchased by Apple. They were told that the price tag for the company could be between $50 million and $60 million. Apple affirmed the acquisition, but as usual declined to offer specifics.Cue's functionality was much like that of Google Now or Apple's new iOS 7 contextual notifications, though it debuted before both of those services.

AppleInsider was previously tipped in mid-September by another person who claimed at the time that Apple was in talks to acquire Cue.

Cue announced to its users on Tuesday that the service is shutting down and is no longer available. Cue Premium users who bought a paid subscription, either through official iOS app or the company's website, will receive a prorated refund.

"We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause you," the company said. "It's been an incredible journey that wouldn't have been possible without your loyal support."

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/10/03/rumor-apple-may-have-acquired-personal-assistant-app-cue-for-at-least-35m