Just a day after launching a new virtual reality (VR) product line, Apple Vision Pro, the tech giant confirmed its acquisition of Mira, an augmented reality (AR) startup offering hands-free, smartphone-powered headsets.
On June 7, The Verge reported that Apple’s recent acquisition was revealed through a private Instagram post shared by Mira CEO Ben Taft, which Apple later confirmed to the outlet as accurate. Expected to launch in early 2024, Apple Vision Pro is said to be the most expensive mixed reality device – it currently costs $3,499.
While Vision Pro is full of innovations for personalized virtual reality, Mira’s headsets are specially designed for industrial applications. Current use cases include chemical, steel and food manufacturing, mining services and defense. Other prominent implementations include building AR headsets for Universal Studios at Nintendo World theme parks.
When asked by The Verge for comment, Apple responded:
“Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally don’t discuss our intentions or plans.”
Mira has reportedly raised $17 million in funding from investors including Blue Bear Capital and Sequoia in the past. However, Apple’s investment in acquiring the company remains secret.
As of July 29, 2020, Mira had a post-money valuation in the $50-$100 million range, according to PrivCo data. In addition, IPqwery confirms that the company holds 14 patents and 8 trademarks.
Apple has not yet responded to Cointelegraph’s request for comment.
Related: Apple’s New Headset Could Skyrocket Metaverse Tokens
While Apple chose to specifically exclude the words “metaverse” or “virtual reality” when launching Vision Pro, tech entrepreneurs see the device’s potential to accelerate adoption of the sub-crypto ecosystem.
In addition to tech giants, government agencies have also begun experimenting with the metaverse. Most recently, the Chinese city of Nanjing opened the China Metaverse Technology and Application Innovation Platform to boost metaverse research and development across the country.
The platform aims to serve as a central resource hub for Metaverse-related endeavors. Other major Chinese cities, including Shanghai, have also launched various Metaverse initiatives, with hopes of reaching 350 billion yuan ($49.6 billion) in annual sales by 2025.
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