Amber Neely
Apple has acquired Mira, a company that creates augmented reality headsets for other companies — including the US military.
A day after it announced Apple Vision Pro, the Cupertino-based tech giant has confirmed its purchase of Mira, a Los Angeles-based AR startup.
Mira is best known for creating the lenses used in headsets used at Nintendo World theme parks. They are used during Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge, an augmented reality dark ride at the Universal Studios theme park in California.
However, as The Verge points out, the company also has an active contract with both the US Air Force and Navy.
Apple confirmed its acquisition when asked by The Verge. It provided its standard statement about the purchase.
"Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans," a company spokesperson said.
On Monday, Apple announced Vision Pro, a mixed-reality headset that marks Apple's official entrance into the AR/VR market. As a premium headset, it aims to compete with high specifications and considerably advanced features, allowing Apple's newest device category to stand out. It will ship in early 2024 and cost $3,499.
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3 Comments
Gov't contract should help drive future development and features.
NASA would probably be a good partner too.
Military use seems to me like the most obvious, and immediately useful, use case for AR. Many soldiers are already wearing goggles or headsets of some sort. Imaging turning a set of empty buildings into a populated town with realistic looking interiors, and threats that aren't cardboard cutouts or platoon commanders who are (rightly) afraid of being shot in the face with a blank.
A trillion dollars budget for US military.