On Tuesday, the U.S. tech media website The Verge cited insiders as saying that Apple has acquired the Los Angeles-based AR headset startup, Mira.
Apple confirmed the acquisition of Mira. Regarding this, Apple said, "The company acquires smaller tech companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."
It is currently unclear at what price Apple acquired Mira. What is known is that Mira has raised about $17 million in funds to date. According to two former employees who asked to remain anonymous and spoke without company permission, Jony Ive, Apple's former design director, once served as a consultant for Mira.
As part of the acquisition, Apple has hired at least 11 Mira employees, according to a private post by Mira CEO Ben Taft on his Instagram account. Taft wrote that he is excited for Mira's next chapter at Apple. A seven-year journey from dormitory to acquisition.
On its official website, Mira stated that it has built the most scalable augmented reality hardware + software solutions on the market, providing front-line workers with communication tools and information when they need them most.
Nintendo World is a significant client of Mira, with a contract between them. Nintendo World uses Mira's devices in its Mario Kart rides at its Japan theme park and Universal Studios in Los Angeles. Mira's headsets display virtual characters and items from the game to enhance the gaming experience.
Mira also has contracts in the military sector. It is unclear whether these contracts will continue, but people familiar with the company's operations think it is unlikely.
The above news came out one day after Apple launched its highly anticipated first headset, Vision Pro. The headset starts at $3,499, and CEO Cook says it will usher us into the era of spatial computing.
Apple's headset will test a market that already has quite a few suppliers but has not yet attracted consumers, and it will compete directly with Meta in this field.
According to an article on the Wall Street Journal website, the first wave of evaluations of the feel of Apple's headset has arrived. The reviews say that it supports nearsighted users and is friendly to those prone to motion sickness. Users can operate it by moving their mouths, fingers, or even turning their eyeballs. They can immerse themselves in movies, browse albums, and switch between virtual reality and augmented reality at any time. The pricing of this headset is really expensive for most consumers, but after experiencing the real thing, many people exclaimed, "My perspective has completely changed", "It brought me into another world", "I've experienced the future".
