Microsoft is officially acquiring SwiftKey
It follows Acompli, Sunrise and Wunderlist.
The rumors were true. Keyboard app developer SwiftKey has been swooped up by Microsoft for an undisclosed fee. The company stresses its apps will "continue to be available on Android and iOS," although as we've seen with Microsoft's other acquisitions -- namely Acompli -- there's a good chance it'll eventually be rebranded or folded into another service. For instance, Microsoft's says it'll be exploring "integration of the core technology across the breadth of our product and services portfolio." That means it's interested in the underlying smarts -- the predictive word suggestions and drag-to-type interface -- as well as the app itself.
Microsoft isn't hiding this fact. In a blog post Harry Shum, executive vice president for technology and research, confirms that SwiftKey's technology will eventually be integrated with Microsoft's Word Flow keyboard. Yep, the same keyboard that won a Guinness World Record for speed typing (it was later broken by Fleksy.) The acquisition is, therefore, another move by Microsoft to make sure it has competitive productivity apps on mobile. Along with Sunrise, Accompli and Wunderlist, it's gathered a powerful set of tools to compliment Office. They're also cross-platform, which is notable as Microsoft further embraces Android and iOS.
