Company hires top VR researcher
We need another virtual reality headset like we need a hole in the head, but Apple appears unwilling to cede this burgeoning technology market to the likes of Sony, Samsung, and Facebook.
Despite having made no official announcements regarding potential plans to enter the race, Apple certainly seems to be moving in that direction. Following its recent string of VR-related patent filings and technology acquisitions, the company has reportedly hired one of the country’s top VR experts.
According to the Financial Times, former Virginia Tech computer science professor Doug Bowman has joined Apple after a five-year stint heading the school’s center of human-computer interaction.
At Virginia Tech, Bowman’s research centered around “three-dimensional user interface design and the benefits of immersion in virtual environments,” including work in the augmented reality space.
While it’s still unclear what Apple plans to do with VR, it’s clearly a point of interest for the company. So don’t act too surprised when an iPhone-powered headset is unveiled here in a year or two.
Apple hires leading virtual reality researcher [Financial Times]
