Apple Officially Getting In The AR Game, Recruits Rock Stars For Tech Development

Although Apple CEO Tim Cook talked a little about virtual reality and augmented reality in the past, there was virtually no concrete indication that the company was moving into either territory. Now, it seems the iPhone maker is actually going to go through with its plans to bring its own vision of AR technology to the market and it is recruiting top minds from various industries to do exactly this.

There is no official word on the development of AR technology within the company yet, but this is fairly typical of Apple. The company is notorious for its secrecy. However, Bloomberg has received reports from inside sources that Cook is serious about tackling the new market and is willing to pay top dollar for experts in the field.

In what will likely come as a relief to anxious investors, Apple is reportedly building a team made up of veterans in the hardware and software aspects of AR technology. The team is supposedly led by a former executive at Dolby Laboratories and is comprised of experts who worked on both the Oculus and the HoloLens. The Oculus is, of course, the VR company that Facebook purchased while the HoloLens is Microsoft’s own take on the budding market.

There are even some experienced Hollywood special effects people from companies like Lucasfilm, MacRumors reports. With the studio being known for producing some of the most dazzling CG movies in the business, Apple is definitely investing in top assets if the reports turn out to be true.

On that note, there are a few questions with regards to just how useful AR will be with regards to the iPhone or any of Apple’s products. There are speculations that it could have something to do with giving users the ability to tinker with the camera and photo feature with more depth, but the company would need more than that if it wants to dominate the AR market.