well we could hope it is a good move, but history shows usually otherwise.
Apple is just trying to cope with of Microsoft in this area.
Microsoft developped the kinect from the isreaelian Primesense and then goes its own way for the kinect2 and then the Realsens.
Primesens continued to sale their own camera (carmin or Asus Xtion) and many open source software started to emerge, included faceshift and their body tracking application.
Then suddenly, Apple purchased Primense and all developers stopped their effort since the mandatory device (the camera) wasn't available anymore (and the kinect was less good)
That was several years ago and since Apple did not released anything using this camera.
They just killed any developpement with this kind of device and now developpers have to wait for Microsoft releasing the Realsens (still hard to get). Few years of development stalled. Thanks Apple.
now they are locking faceshift technology as well, and not sure we will see any application of that soon. It is a patent war, everybody trying to lock whatever they can, just in case something valuable (aka you can sell to lots of people) appears.
This is very Apple to buy an emerging technology, wait 5 years, and then popping it out of the hat claiming the "invention".
Apple is just interested by thing they can get a patent on, like the primesens or the faceshift.
It is not sure they are interested by developping anything with, just looking to lauch their lawyers after anybody doing the same, to pay for royalties.
Because face tracking exist since a long time in movie industry, they just use markers.
but for theses companies , a great idea that is not patentable has no interest.
