Apple has beefed up its patent portfolio, apparently obtaining the rights to about 200 patents formerly held by Freescale Semiconductor. The patents cover a range of technologies, from Wi-Fi to cellular data and data encoding, some filed as late as 2010.

It is not clear how Apple may have obtained the patents, although patent law blog PatentlyO -- which first reported the news earlier this week -- believed it involved a cash transaction.

"A cash purchase is likely because Apple has a large multi-billion-dollar cash surplus while Freescale has a large multi-billion-dollar debt that has come due," the blog said. Freescale was originally part of Motorola, although was spun off from the company in 2003.

The purchase makes sense considering Apple's recent moves in the intellectual property realm. It has found itself the target of patent infringement claims by Finnish phone maker Nokia -- which it has countersued -- and has also taken action against Samsung over what it says is blatant copying of its iPhone and iPad devices.

It may also signal an effort by the Cupertino company to bolster its position in wireless, a relatively new business for the company. As the war over intellectual property heats up, its definitely in Apple's best interest to have a stronger position in the sector.

In previous intellectual property cases, Apple argued that its competitors used their patent positions in order to force the company into accepting unfavorable terms. The wide range of patents obtained under this deal may put Apple in a better position during negotiations.