In its first serious move into the augmented reality space, Apple, Inc. has acquired German startup Metaio GmbH.

Founded in 2003 as a spin-off from car manufacturer Volkswagen AG, Metaio makes a number of SDKs and toolkits that assist in the creation of augmented reality apps and is said to have created a Holodeck-style game for iPad.

The company has also worked with other companies on their augmented reality projects, including Epson and APX Labs to develop surgical training and remote field service support applications for Moverio BT0-200 in health care.

Neither Apple, nor Metaoi have confirmed the deal, however a transfer of shares from the company to Apple was discovered in a document found by TechCrunch. 

The acquisition may have occurred some time ago, with Metaoi having cancelled its developer conference, and removing social media accounts in early May. The company also posted earlier this week on its website that it was ending the purchase of products and subscriptions, and that email tech support would end June 30th.

Crazy not to be in the market

Although currently more focused on augmented reality, Metaoi would provide a solid foundation for Apple to expand into virtual reality (the two fields are closely related) and it’s not the first time Apple has shown interest in VR, having patented a head-mounted device that houses an iPhone as the display back in February.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, the second coming of virtual reality is a hot space right now, with much promised in the years ahead with Facebook’s Oculus Rift due to go on general sale at the beginning of 2016, and offerings afoot from HTC and others.

Those who remember the great virtual reality craze of the 1990’s remember how it turned out, but maybe this time around the market, generations ahead in technology, may actually see virtual reality truly enter the mainstream, and Apple would be crazy not to be a part of that.

Prior to acquisition Metaoi hadn’t raised any traditional funding rounds, but is said to have taken some money from Atlantic Bridge and Westcott. The price of the acquisition was not disclosed.

Image credit: intelfreepress/Flickr/ CC by 2.0