Apple (News - Alert) has acquired Passif Semiconductor, a developer of low-power chips. Financial details were not disclosed.

One news report described Passif Semiconductor as a “Bluetooth specialist.” Businessweek adds it is a maker of “switch-based wireless transceivers with low power consumption and a small footprint.”

Apple confirmed the acquisition to the news media. It gave few details. "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans," Apple said in a statement carried by TMCnet.

The deal could help Apple make rumored smartwatches, eyewear, or new versions of iPhones and iPads, news reports said.

"As technology companies pack more battery-draining features into smartphones, technologies that preserve and extend battery life are critical,” blogger Jessica Lessin said in a recent post. “Radios are some of the biggest battery drainers. The need is particularly acute for wearable devices, like activity-tracking watches. One of the reasons Apple and its rivals haven't launched such devices yet is how hard it is to shrink screens, batteries and radios to fit into them."

“Endless rumors suggest the company is working on a watch or other wearable device. Gadgets of that ilk will need to be small. If Apple goes down Google's (News - Alert) path of connecting wearables to the internet over a Bluetooth connection to a mobile phone, both the handset and the wearable need long battery life. A chipset that can deliver extra connection time could mean the difference between a dud product and an all-day delight and this battery-free kit might just be the difference,” The Register (News - Alert) explained.

Apple also recently acquired location app making companies Locationary and HopStop. All Things D adds in a report that the new deal gives “considerable heft to the company’s already considerable semiconductor design talent built around earlier acquisitions of PA Semi and Intrinsity.”

“It’s a tantalizing acquisition indeed, especially as iOS 7′s launch and the wide availability of its new location beacons tech is set for this fall, and CEO Tim Cook and other Apple execs have teased big releases through the end of 2013 and into next year,” TechCrunch reported.