Google has been known to wander off its territory, venturing into new markets with lunatic ideas. In fact, their latest venture may very well get them closer to the moon, with rumors of possible satellite company investments coming soon. Google could be acquiring satellite startup Skybox.
This deal is said to go for a pretty penny, too, with an estimated price of $1 billion. Such information comes from Techcrunch, naming three confidential sources as their main informants. As expected, neither company is making comments, so we will simply have to play the waiting game until more details on this emerge.
What is Skybox?
Skybox is a Mountain View-based startup with a focus on satellite imagery. This company is different in that it offers high-quality images and video for its clients. They make their very own satellites, software and offer pristine footage. It’s really quite impressive, and you can check their work out in the video below.
Skybox was only one of the alternatives, though. It’s reported Google also had its eyes on Planet Labs, a similar company. This means they must have something big in mind.
What could Google want with Skybox?
This is the question of the year, and we have a few ideas of what Google could be planning. The first thing that comes to mind is, of course, Google Maps. The Search Giant is king in the map & navigation business. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them somehow implement it into Google Maps.
There is also Google Earth Enterprise, which offers satellite imagery to organizations, institutions and businesses. Clients can simply take all the images and use them within their own services, servers and software/hardware. Would Google really spend a whole billion on that, though.
There is one other area where Google could use Skybox’s satellites – Project Loon. The idea sounds a bit… looney, but Google wants to bring internet to the whole world via balloons. The project is well on its way and Google has already acquired Titan Aerospace to help them with this endeavor.
Whether Google flies us to the moon or takes us to infinity and beyond, this is looking like a very unique acquisition. What do you think Google has in mind for Skybox?
from Android Authority http://ift.tt/1ndTeCP
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