Apple has reportedly acquired AR headset company Vrvana amid recent chatter that the company intends to develop and launch an augmented reality headset as early as 2020.
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TechCrunch, citing multiple people familiar with the deal, said Apple is paying $30 million for Vrvana, the Montreal-based maker of the Totem-branded “extended reality” headset. TC says Vrvana, founded in 2005, had raised less than $2 million.
The Totem has not reached the commercial launch phase, but the prototype has generated some high marks. Last year, Tom’s Hardware was impressed by the Totem, billing it as a mixed reality device that offers the “best of virtual reality and augmented reality in one unit,” while noting that its 1440p display offers a higher-res experience than one would get with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. The reviewer also touted the product’s 120-degree field-of-view.
Apple is already building AR capabilities into its mobile devices and pushing into that arena with its ARkit -- Syfy, for example, used it to develop an AR app promoting a new series called Happy!
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In addition to filling serious technology gap, Apple’s move into AR hardware would put it in more direct competition with Microsoft’s HoloLens platform and what’s being developed by secretive startup MagicLeap.
