Apple acquires augmented reality startup Mira

As usual, when Apple enters a new field or sector, all its focus is on dominating it, and augmented reality is the latest sector that the company enters after announcing the mixed reality glasses during Apple's annual developer conference. WWDC 2023And the experiences of others showed that Apple is coming strongly through a spatial computing platform that gives users many interactive features, and in order to establish its new position in mixed reality, Apple has acquired a company that specializes in augmented reality.

Apple and augmented reality

Mira is an emerging company in the field of augmented reality, and it is based in Los Angeles, America, and it specializes in manufacturing augmented reality glasses for many companies, in addition to the US Army, and Apple announced its purchase of Mira, just one day after it unveiled its glasses. Vision Pro, which comes at a price of $ 3499, and Mira or Apple did not disclose the amount that the latter paid to acquire the startup, which managed to raise $ 17 million in financing so far, for which Jony Ive (previously Apple's head of design) worked as an advisor. she has. However, there are sources talking about paying Apple $ 100 million to buy the startup.

And Apple said about its acquisition of Mira, that it buys smaller technology companies from time to time without discussing the purpose or plans for it, and so far no one is aware of what Apple will do with the startup and whether it will continue to work with the US military or not, especially since there is Contracts and agreements with the US Navy and Air Force for the use of augmented reality Mira glasses in military training.

 Mira Corporation

Mira is one of the startups that has proven successful in the field of augmented reality, making glasses such as the Apple Vision Pro, which come with a screen that does not block the user from the real world, and is compatible with personal protective equipment (PPE) such as helmets and hoods that the user can slide up or down down without a problem. On its website, the startup that makes augmented reality glasses says it is building the most scalable software solution for augmented reality on the market, and while the Vision Pro comes packed with innovations geared towards mixed reality, the Mira glasses are specifically designed for industrial applications. Current use cases include chemical and steel manufacturing, food, mining services, and the military, as well as the entertainment, education, and health sectors.

In addition to her contracts with the US Army, Mira has a major contract with Nintendo World, where her glasses are used while riding Mario Kart at its theme parks in Japan and Universal Studios in Los Angeles. Mira's AR glasses display virtual characters and items from the game during the ride.

Finally, Apple's acquisition of the augmented reality startup Mira is important for the iPhone maker, as Mira is a pioneer and has a proven track record in developing augmented reality technology, and its experience will be invaluable to Apple, which is looking to dominate the field of augmented reality and obtain Mira's expertise and services. It will accelerate Apple's plans to perfectly introduce its Vision Pro glasses along with developing applications for augmented reality. Thanks to Apple's resources and Mira's expertise, augmented reality can become a mainstream technology in the coming years, and Apple glasses will not be the preserve of the rich or corporations.

Source:

the verge