SAN FRANCISCO - As the virtual- and
augmented- reality wars heat up, Apple is making sure it stays competitive with
occasional acquisitions such as AR pioneer Metaio and 3D sensor outfit
PrimeSense.
Now it's adding another company to
its quiver, Swiss-based Faceshift, whose motion capture tech allows
animated avatars to double the facial movements of real actors. The tech was
used in the new Star Wars movie, out Dec. 18.
Rumors of the Apple purchase
had surfaced earlier in the year, but TechCrunch cited unnamed sources Tuesday
in confirming the report. Apple declined to confirm the acquisition to
TechCrunch, simply saying "Apple buys smaller technology companies from
time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."
Many analysts believe 2016 will be a
watershed year for AR/VR tech. Samsung just released its $99 Gear VR goggles,
which use a Samsung smartphone to power VR content that ranges from games
to entertainment. And next year Sony will unveil Project Morpheus for
PlayStation, Microsoft is expected to release a developer kit for its
HoloLens augmented reality glasses, and Facebook-owned Oculus Rift also should
be unveiling a dev kit for its much anticipated $1,500 product.
According to Digi-Capital, AR and VR
combined are expected to be a $150 billion business by 2020, as
entertainment companies, media giants and the gaming industry look to
exploit tahe new technology to lure in consumers. Interestingly, of that
sum, the vast majority — $120 billion — will be generated by augmented reality,
whose technology isn't as developed and whose existing hardware is aimed mainly
at enterprise customers ranging from doctors in surgery (whose monitors pop up
in their field of view) to oil workers on remote platforms (who can follow
repair instructions out of the corner of their eye).
There's no telling just how Apple
might be planning to use its latest purchase in future
products, especially since Apple is not at the moment a video game company
and Faceshift's tech would seem perfect for that sort of application.
Apple's extreme secrecy when it
comes to projects currently extends to its much-rumored development of a car.
While Apple has never confirmed its interest in making automobiles, its
recently hiring spree of auto-world veterans would suggest the tech company is
- much like Google - interested in having a hand in the upcoming makeover of
the transportation industry.
USA TODAY - Virtual reality faces first big consumer test in $99 Samsung Gear VR
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