Apple has finalized an acquisition for the augmented reality company Metaio in a move that could soon bring the German firm’s AR tech to iOS and other Apple devices.
Metaio, which specializes in creating augmented reality tools for other businesses as well as other computer vision solutions, mysteriously announced last night that it would stop selling its services, but filings with the German government reveal that the company has transferred all of its shares over to Apple.
Take a look at their incredible tech in action:
Metaio started as a offshoot project at Volkswagon in 2003, and has seen its tech used by companies such as Ferrari, virtual shopping systems, and other app developers. Apple has not released an official statement confirming the acquisition, but it did give its boilerplate, “We’ve acquired a company but don’t want to talk about it” response to TechCrunch this morning.
What Apple plans to do with Metaio and its technology is still unclear, however some rumors have claimed Apple is working to integrate augmented reality into its Maps apps, which could be a perfect fit.
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
