Philip Houska The virtual reality situation continues to gain momentum. Major tech names are trying to make inroads in this sphere as best they can, and the latest information proves it. Apple however remains silent and does not yet work with this emerging technology, at least not publicly. However, his latest signing heading to Cupertino suggests things could soon change.
According to the report Financial Times Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), hired a leading specialist in the field of virtual reality, namely Doug Bowman, who, among other things, is the author of a book on 3D interfaces called "3D User Interface: Theory and Practice". He comes to Apple from the position of a professor at Virginia Tech University, where his specialization was not only computer science, but also the field of human-computer interaction.
Doug Bowman has been working at the university since 1999 and during that time has published many interesting articles regarding virtual reality and the 3D world in general. So he is not a newcomer in this field and based on his resume, one can spot many achievements that Apple will certainly appreciate in connection with the VR sphere. As already mentioned, apart from virtual reality, he also deals with spatial user interface, virtual environment, augmented reality and interaction between human and computer understanding.
It will certainly be beneficial for Apple, but despite this fact, the manufacturer of apple products will have to show a lot of strength to overtake not only Google and Oculus, but also Samsung, HTC and Sony. No virtual reality-enabled product appears in its portfolio yet, but patents and experiments with 360-degree video are popping up, showing that something is definitely up in Apple's labs.
