Apple Raises Stake in Imagination Technologies to 9.5%

Imagination Technologies has announced that Apple has raised its stake in the company to 9.5% following recent share purchases. The news comes days after news that Intel has raised their stake in the company to 16%. Imagination Technologies is the company behind the PowerVR graphics chips that are used in the iPhone and iPod Touch.

One analyst notes that this increasing ownership by Apple and Intel can cause some concern amongst competitors who also license Imagination Technologies' hardware:

"Too high a stake by Apple or Intel could well cause some existing or potential licensees to think twice about having Imagination's technologies at the core of their roadmaps. We understand that management has already received concerned phone calls from existing licensees."

The PowerVR SGX graphics chip used in the new iPhone is responsible for much of the improved performance seen over the previous model.