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Apple Hires Leading Virtual Reality Researcher

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Apple has hired Doug Bowman, one of the U.S.' leading virtual reality experts, according to a new report from the Financial Times. Bowman joined Apple after going on sabbatical from his job as a computer science professor at Virginia Tech.

apple_patent_video_goggles.jpg
His experience spans both fully immersive VR, as used in Facebook's Oculus Rift and HTC's Vive headsets, as well as augmented reality, where transparent visors such as Microsoft's Hololens, Google Glass and secretive start-up Magic Leap mingle digital images with the real world still visible.
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Bowman has been director of Virginia Tech's Center for Human-Computer Interaction for the past five years. He's also the lead author of the book "3D User Interfaces: Theory and Practice." His past experience also includes serving as a User Experience Consultant for Walt Disney Imagineering and honors like numerous IEEE awards for 3D user interfaces and technical achievements in virtual reality. Bowman's LinkedIn page had not been updated to reflect the hiring and has since been deleted.

In the past year, Apple has acquired three companies with experience in either augmented reality or virtual reality. It acquired augmented reality startup Metaio last may, real-time motion capture firm Faceshift last September and expression analysis startup Emotient a couple weeks ago.

It's unclear what Apple could have Bowman and its acquired companies working on, but there have been persistent rumors the company has been interested in VR. Apple has filed several patents for VR products, including video goggles, motion-sensing 3D virtual interfaces for iOS and 3D "hyper reality" displays. It's also been reported that the company has a "small team" working on virtual reality projects.

Article Link: Apple Hires Leading Virtual Reality Researcher
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2016/01/21/apple-hires-leading-vr-researcher/
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So, I love that they have lots of passion for making new things. But oculus rift, hololens and morpheus are all ahead of Apple in their demographic's awareness. And Apple is NOT going to get the xBox population. Or PS4… They have been late in the game for Apple TV... Maybe they will create something like they did with the iPod - it was not the first MP3 player, but it was the best. I just wish they'd make the Mac better, stronger, faster, etc.
 
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pat500000 said:
GET BACK TO MAKING COMPUTERS!
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They make the finest computers in existence
[doublepost=1453430899][/doublepost]It's the mystery and allure that's great. Apple won't make a bulky headset like other companies do. That's a ticket to failure. Nobody wants bulk... it's all about who does VR right
[doublepost=1453430934][/doublepost]
furi0usbee said:
Still sitting and waiting until the day the Apple TV is no longer a hobby...
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Your wait is over
 
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Apple TV should be their VR device. Build a really nice, comfortable headset, beef up the Apple TV a bit, and turn it into the Nintendo Wii of Virtual Reality. (E.g. not the best specs, but a fun experience for the whole family, as opposed to the hardcore VR tech from Sony, Oculus, etc.)
 
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Porco said:
If Apple are making a car, then windshield(windscreen) augmented reality would surely be one possible direction they would investigate.
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That was my first thought – an AR windshield HUD for the Apple Car.

I mean sure, they may be interested in VR for a future version of the AppleTV, but Apple has seemed really uninterested in high-end gaming, and as TheFluffyDuck noted, VR requires graphics power that Apple just hasn't been shipping in their machines. It's actually really disappointing, as for a while we were getting ports of recent PC games, but as Mac hardware slips further and further in graphics performance, PC game studios are now ignoring the Mac again. Anyway, even if they did ship an AppleTV with amazing graphics performance, VR seems too exclusionary an experience for Apple. It's hard for me to imagine them actually selling a head-mounted display unless they could make it very unobtrusive. I think they're more likely to pursue AR or perhaps holographic displays.
 
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Apple made the iPod because MP3 players sucked

Apple made the iPhone because phones at the time sucked

Apple wants to make VR because why??

Just make your graphic cards good enough to handle this awesome third party hardware that is already light years ahead of you.
 
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TheFluffyDuck said:
Late to the party as per usual recently. Pro tip: VR needs great graphics cards, not 3 year old mediocre ones in your high end line.
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Apple has never really bean first with anything. Usually just the first to get it right.

And it's true you need a really high-end card today, but in a few years they will be common place.

Here is a statement from Oculus:

"The recommended spec will stay constant over the lifetime of the Rift. As the equivalent-performance hardware becomes less expensive, more users will have systems capable of the full Rift experience." Source.
 
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pat500000 said:
GET BACK TO MAKING COMPUTERS!
Click to expand...
They never stopped. Calm the **** down.

Njchad said:
Apple made the iPod because MP3 players sucked

Apple made the iPhone because phones at the time sucked

Apple wants to make VR because why??
Click to expand...
Because as a tech company, Apple would be a complete idiot not to try and get in on cutting-edge tech like VR.

Same reason they made an Apple Watch. All things considered, it's probably one of the better options besides the horrific price range and insistence on marketing a wrist-computer as "fashion".
 
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What do I know? But I feel Apple doesn't have a VR goal. They are just snapping up talent and companies to keep other companies from getting them. I think Steve Jobs' vision went as far as the iPad. It took him over 20 years to achieve that goal and now we wait to see what happens next. I think we're in for a long quiet period in technology.
 
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Pakaku said:
They never stopped. Calm the **** down.


Because as a tech company, Apple would be a complete idiot not to try and get in on cutting-edge tech like VR.

Same reason they made an Apple Watch. All things considered, it's probably one of the better options besides the horrific price range and insistence on marketing a wrist-computer as "fashion".
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They are slowing down.
[doublepost=1453433084][/doublepost]
sully54 said:
a virtual reality device could be classified as a computer.
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Well...it's more like a toy than computer....so far i mean. I was talking about desktop..like mac pro.
[doublepost=1453433262][/doublepost]
RockSpider said:
That's funny.
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lol I'm glad you got the sense of humor. I was just pointing out that they are drifting away from doing what were known for ...computers....and i guess iphones..(sigh).
[doublepost=1453433313][/doublepost]I think cyclops from x-men will sue apple for copyright. WHere's Dr. Xaivier?
 
MacRumors said:



Apple has hired Doug Bowman, one of the U.S.' leading virtual reality experts, according to a new report from the Financial Times. Bowman joined Apple after going on sabbatical from his job as a computer science professor at Virginia Tech.

apple_patent_video_goggles.jpg
Bowman has been director of Virginia Tech's Center for Human-Computer Interaction for the past five years. He's also the lead author of the book "3D User Interfaces: Theory and Practice." His past experience also includes serving as a User Experience Consultant for Walt Disney Imagineering and honors like numerous IEEE awards for 3D user interfaces and technical achievements in virtual reality. Bowman's LinkedIn page had not been updated to reflect the hiring and has since been deleted.

In the past year, Apple has acquired three companies with experience in either augmented reality or virtual reality. It acquired augmented reality startup Metaio last may, real-time motion capture firm Faceshift last September and expression analysis startup Emotient a couple weeks ago.

It's unclear what Apple could have Bowman and its acquired companies working on, but there have been persistent rumors the company has been interested in VR. Apple has filed several patents for VR products, including video goggles, motion-sensing 3D virtual interfaces for iOS and 3D "hyper reality" displays. It's also been reported that the company has a "small team" working on virtual reality projects.

Article Link: Apple Hires Leading Virtual Reality Researcher
Click to expand...

Coming soon: EMOTICONS IN THREE DEE!
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
bdkennedy1 said:
What do I know? But I feel Apple doesn't have a VR goal. They are just snapping up talent and companies to keep other companies from getting them. I think Steve Jobs' vision went as far as the iPad. It took him over 20 years to achieve that goal and now we wait to see what happens next. I think we're in for a long quiet period in technology.
Click to expand...

I agree. We haven't witnessed anything ground breaking after the iPad. Still waiting for a true game changer from Tim Cook. This is what happens when the management gets old and runs out of ideas. There is no true visionary at the helm. 2015 was such a predictable year and I don't see any huge surprises for 2016; just revisions to the current lineups. Nothing new and exciting.
 
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