Apple Said to Buy Talk Radio app Swell to Bolster its Streaming Media Services

[RaduTyrsina]

After a lot of rumors and discussions, Apple has recently finally bought Beats Music and it's looking to incorporate the know-how of that company into its own services. But it seems that Beats' technology isn't enough, as new reports suggest Apple could be looking to buy out Swell, a personalized news radio application currently available for iPhone users.

The information comes from the Recode.net publication, who is saying the following:

"Apple is close to buying the Pandora-for-talk-radio app Swell, according to multiple sources. The deal is worth about $30 million, these sources say. Swell had raised $7.2 million from investors including DFJ, Google Ventures and InterWest Partners. Its iOS app compiled various podcasts and shows and stitched them into personalized streams.

The Swell acquisition comes as part of a string of content apps that Apple has picked up over the last couple of months, including Beats, which had a significant $3 billion price tag; and book recommendation service BookLamp, which was another small-ish buy. It seems like a pretty clear-cut story: Despite Swell’s simple UI that lended itself to in-car listening, as well as high engagement among fans, the app had trouble finding a lot of users. As part of the deal, the Swell app is to be shut down this week."

Swell plays podcasts in continuous streams that personalize for each user over time based on the programs they listen to and skip. Swell is currently available for Apple iOS devices and has a beta version for Android.

The Swell app is expected to be shut down this week after the deal closes. Reason for the acquisition is said to be the simplified user interface, and we all know how important is that for Apple and its products and services.

The new technology could be used to improve Apple's iTunes Radio service or in Apple's own iOS Podcasts app, which isn't being liked by iOS users. Apple is interested in improving its iBooks service, as well, as we've seen recently another report saying that the company acquired BookLamp, another start-up dubbed as "Pandora for Books".

Source: Recode