Apple Buys Timberlake-Backed Web App Company

10 2012 Thursday

Apple is now the proud owner of a creative consulting company backed by pop star and actor Justin Timberlake.

Apple bought Particle, a firm specializing in Web applications and marketing projects using HTML5, last month, CNet reported. The San Francisco firm was founded in 2008.

Timberlake, an investor, helped finance Robo.to, a short social video service which Particle created. Timberlake has been known to experiment with technology investments, including shares in Specific Media, the online advertising company that bought social network MySpace.

Particle has done HTML5 work for Google, Motorola, Amazon, Yahoo, Sony, and Apple. The company has also fashioned Intervue.me, an asynchronous video-interviewing project, according to the CNet report.

The company had about 12 employees. Of those who chose to make the move to Apple, all but one describe themselves as ‘creative technologists’ on their LinkedIn profiles. The remaining one is described as a “user interface engineer.”

According to CNet, the obvious reason for the purchase was to acquire some new talent — and Particle employees had the skills to coincide with Apple’s focus on HTML5 for its product pages, iAd advertising, and on iCloud.com, which serves as one of the only places Apple has true Web applications.

Sources with knowledge of the deal did not know the selling price, CNet reported.

Apple has not commented on the acquisition.