Buy This "Star Wars"-Related Company? originally appeared on. Instead, they should focus on how these acquisitions might help Apple eventually expand into these markets in the near future.
FACESHIFT PRICING LICENSE
Apple could also license the technology to game studios to create games.īut for now, investors shouldn't jump to conclusions about recent acquisitions like Metaio and Faceshift. Possibilities beyond AR and VRWhile Faceshift's face-tracking technology could be used for AR and VR applications, it could also be used for new features using facial recognition to unlock your phone or to improve the iPhone camera's ability to read emotions and smiles. That's what Apple is likely doing right now - collecting the tech, patents, and talent while waiting for the market to develop. It usually lets other companies test the waters, then disrupts the market with a device that addresses the shortcomings of older products. Initial demos for the HoloLens are impressive, but the developer kit costs a whopping $3,000.Īpple, on the other hand, usually doesn't expand into fledgling markets that are still struggling to find their feet. Meanwhile, Microsoft plans to dive into the deep end of the AR market with HoloLens. It also invested in Magic Leap, a start-up that produces AR content that can be projected onto real-world surfaces. On the AR front, Google refuses to give up on Google Glass, its AR play, which flopped due to its awkward appearance and privacy issues. Google is encouraging users to make their own Cardboard headsets to experience VR apps and 360-degree YouTube videos. Its Oculus Rift, which is scheduled to arrive next year, could be a popular accessory for hardcore gamers. Facebook recently introduced 360-degree videos that can be navigated by rotating a mobile device. Google's Project Tango digitizes real people and objects into computerized 3D ones, so that people can actually "touch" virtual versions of real-world objects.Īlthough Facebook and Google generally aren't considered Apple's allies, combining Faceshift's facial recognition with Facebook and Google's spatial recognition could produce some incredible AR/VR demos.Īpple isn't usually the first moverFacebook and Google are both trying to generate more mainstream awareness for VR apps. Facebook recently demonstrated how two people in different rooms could play ping pong in virtual reality. Over the past year, Facebook and Google have been trying to blur the lines between real-world objects and virtual reality. Apple could open the API to developers and let them integrate Faceshift features directly into iOS games. For example, Apple could integrate the technology into FaceTime and let users stream their facial expressions and voices to virtual avatars. How does Faceshift complement these moves?Buying Faceshift is an interesting move that could have interesting applications in the AR and VR markets. In November, the company promoted Apple Music with a 360-degree U2 music video that can be viewed through Facebook's Oculus headsets. That same month, Piper Jaffray claimed that Apple had assembled a special R&D team for AR hardware. Metaio also holds dozens of VR-related patents. Metaio's technology powers AR apps like Audi's digital owners manual, which identifies car parts with a camera, and IKEA's virtual catalog, which digitally places furniture into a user's living room.
This March, Apple acquired AR start-up Metaio. Other patents suggest that Apple wants to put an AR overlay over Apple Maps to digitally measure distances and mark locations. It then filed numerous VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) patents, including one for an iPhone-powered VR headset and another for a pair of smartglasses similar to Alphabet's Google Glass. Apple didn't discuss its reasons for buying Faceshift, but the acquisition strongly suggests that the company is beefing up for an expansion into the augmented and virtual reality markets.Īnalyzing Apple's AR and VR trailTwo years ago, Apple acquired PrimeSense, which designed the motion sensors for Microsoft's first Xbox Kinect. The terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but most of Faceshift's Swiss employees are now working for Apple. The company's technology was used in the latest Star Wars film, and can be live-streamed into the Unity game engine for VR environments.
FACESHIFT PRICING SOFTWARE
Apple recently acquired Faceshift, a Zurich-based developer of motion-capture software that lets 3D-animated characters mimic an actor's facial expressions.
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