Johannesburg - After showing interest in virtual reality and augmented reality in recent years, American tech giant Apple has acquired a VR startup company Spaces, which specialises in virtual reality tech.
Apple was also rumoured to be working on multiple virtual reality headsets.
According to an article by Business Insider, the company spokesperson confirmed the acquisition in a statement saying Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time and they generally do not discuss their purpose or plans.
Spaces has recently announced that it was closing down its existing services in the past week, telling visitors of its website that it was heading in a new direction without revealing further details.
"Thank you to our users and partners who participated in our awesome VR video conferencing product and the many people who enjoyed our VR location-based entertainment attractions found at theme parks, theaters, and more," the statement concluded.
Apple has been working on its own AR/VR headset for some time and has acquired a number of AR and VR startups to build out its staff for the project. Other recent acquisitions in the space include NextVR, Akonia Holographics and Vrvana. Apple has not officially announced when it is planning to launch such headsets.
According to a previous IOL Tech report, Apple has been exploring augmented reality technologies for more than 10 years based on patent filings, but now with the popularity of virtual and augmented reality gaining momentum, Apple's dabbling is growing more serious and could lead to an actual dedicated AR/VR product in the future.
IOL TECH