Apple has acquired Metaio, a company specializing in several application related to augmented reality. Metaio mysteriously announced that it will stop selling its services last night, and filings with the German government this week indicate that the Apple acquisition is a done deal:
Metaio offers six distinct services related to augmented reality, ranging from an SDK to cloud services to business tools. A video from the company demonstrates some of its work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HRW-yDgzA8
Earlier this week, we reported that Apple is working on an Augmented Reality feature for a future Maps update, and it is likely that this acquisition will play into that.
The company’s technology also opens up the door for virtually trying on clothing and such in stores, and Apple has been working on ways to allow people to virtually try on goods such as the Apple Watch.