Apple Recruits Top Virtual Reality Researcher

[Maura]

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With 2016 predicted by many to be the year when virtual reality (VR) finally takes off in a big way with the release of Oculus Rift to name but one of many virtual reality devices on the horizon, it’s no surprise to learn that Apple is looking to recruit in that area, with The Financial Times reporting today, via Cnet, that Apple has just recruited a leading virtual reality expert.

According to the report, Virginia Tech professor Doug Bowman has just started working at Apple after a sabbatical from the university, where he was a professor of computer science and director of the Center for Human-Computer Interaction. Apparently he is an expert in the design and benefits of 3D interfaces, with a particular interest in VR and AR.

As Cnet notes, there has been very little talk of Apple getting involved in VR to date, but hiring such an expert could certainly change this.

“It’s a no-brainer for Apple to invest in this area,” analyst Ben Wood from CCS Insight told Cnet. “It certainly can’t let rivals such as Facebook, Google and Samsung run away with the market, particularly given the momentum building around smartphone-based virtual reality.”

Source: Apple may have snagged a top virtual reality brain - CNET