NextVR, a virtual reality streaming service provider that had its aim on revolutionizing the way we watch sport and shows, are reportedly bought by Apple. For Apple, this is not anything new or something to be surprised about. We know they are building their platform with ARKit. On the other hand, this is the first time that they are mixing things up with adding VR.
9to5Mac Daily: April 07, 2020 – iPhone 12 Pro leaks, NextVR acquisition https://t.co/AumsxfRad2 by @ChanceHMiller pic.twitter.com/1MoEwXTzRO
— 9to5Mac.com (@9to5mac) April 7, 2020
What is NextVR
Right now, NextVR provides VR services for viewing a lot of live events with all of the major headsets on the market. Most famous are of course Oculus, Microsoft, Playstation, and Lenovo.
What is interesting about this company is that they hold around 35 technology patents. Its patented technology is well known for upscaling video streams, enabling viewers to watch high-quality video streams.
Also interesting: Mother Wants Closure, Says Goodbye to Deceased Daughter in VR
Of course, their partnerships with major sports outlets are a huge plus in this acquisition too. NBA, Wimbledon, and other partners have already signed their contracts with NextVR.
The company didn’t do so well economy wise. In early 2019, they reported a lack of funding that resulted in a 40% staff reduction. This is all despite the fact that they raised around $115 million since their founding. Their company funding was mostly not that successful because of augmented reality increase in popularity.
Apple is reportedly now poised to acquire VR streamer NextVR for USD100 million, just after the US handset giant snapped up weather app DarkSky and AI startup Voysis last week. pic.twitter.com/47pmCIN3wd
— Yicai Global 第一财经 (@yicaichina) April 7, 2020
On acquiring NextVR
Apple is a company that is mostly known today for mobile phones and computers. However, the information was leaked that they announced to their employees that they are aiming to launch their first AR by 2022.
This deal is valued at around $100 million even though the deal is not closed yet. Pieces of information are out that Apple has created a shell company whose main focus should be AR and VR technologies. There is a huge market for that kind of equipment so it is not a surprise that Apple is spending its assets to put its mark on it.
This is a smart move by Apple. We can see that this market will just continue growing. they bought a company with a lot of licensed VR technologies that can just help Apple make more and more of this kind of product.
Photo credit: The feature photo has been taken by Frank Vessia.
Source: Bani Sapra (Business Insider) / Crunchbase / Zac Hall (9to5Mac)
