Apple confirmed to Bloomberg that it’s scooped up NextVR, a live event streaming AR/VR company. No details on the acquisition, but it’s expected to be in the US$100 million range.
The NextVR website says the company offers “exclusive access to sports, music, and entertainment immersive experiences in virtual reality on headsets from PlayStation, Oculus, HTC, Microsoft, and Lenovo headsets. Currentl, you can experience NBA, WWE, FOX Sports, Live Nation and the International Champions Cup soccer through NextVR’s VR platform. The company has raised funding from several high-profile investors including SoftBank in the past.
NextVR also holds patented technology that upscales video streams. Apple’s interest is doubtless tied to its increasing focus on AR/VR, as well as the rumored “Apple Glasses.” Such a device will arrive this year, next year, 2021, or 2022, depending on which rumor you believe. (I’m betting on late 2021).
