Apple's largest acquisition was that of Beats Electronics in...

Apple's largest acquisition was that of Beats Electronics in August 2014 for $3 billion. Of the companies Apple has acquired, 71 were based in the United States.

Apple and ever Unicorn tech comp buys companies all the time, large and small.

Sometimes its easier to buy them, and put them in a cupboard to bury a competitor.

then you have speed of entry, they could buy anything they want tomorrow and be off and running.
and finally brand recognition aka beats - gives instant credibility and they steal all the technology and staff in the process. gets rid off none competes and NDA's.

Facebook “buys instead of builds” to maintain market control (it will also, when necessary, build what it can’t buy: See Instagram Stories, a direct response to Snapchat Stories). Facebook bought Instagram because it presented a market threat. The WhatsApp acquisition threatened Facebook’s efforts to expand its messaging services globally. Buying it helped cement growth prospects and ultimately messaging market dominance.

never say never to anything - business is full of surprises.