CUPERTINO, Calif., April 4 -- Apple today announced it has acquired Zayante, a leader in IEEE 1394 (FireWire) technology. Zayante's president and CEO Prashant Kanhere will join Apple to promote the adoption of FireWire technology. "By acquiring Zayante, Apple is extending its commitment to FireWire as the premiere, high-speed digital interface solution," said Jon Rubinstein, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. "FireWire is the best technology to connect digital devices that need to transfer lots of data quickly -- such as transferring an entire CD from your Mac to your iPod in less than a second." Apple invented FireWire in the mid-90s and shepherded it to become the established cross-platform industry standard IEEE 1394. FireWire is a high-speed serial input/output technology for connecting digital devices such as digital camcorders and cameras to desktop and portable computers. Widely adopted by digital peripheral companies such as Sony, Canon, JVC and Kodak, FireWire has become the established industry standard for both consumers and professionals and is a key part of Apple's Digital Hub strategy. Zayante, Inc., was founded in 1996, and today Zayante's IEEE 1394 silicon and software is used by leading consumer and computing product and semiconductor manufacturers seeking to produce 1394-compliant products.