Apple’s new purchase tells us a lot about the company’s plans
Apple is in the process of buying VR company NextVR, according to new reports. The deal, said to be worth around $100 million, could tell us plenty about Apple’s plans for the future.
NextVR, which is based in California, also owns patents for a technology that upscales the quality of video streams, and it is possible that this technology is motivating Apple just as much, or more, than the VR technology on offer.
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Either way, 9to5Mac’s report suggests that significant progress has already been made on the deal, which could happen at any time.
NextVR has a track record of combining VR technology with sports and entertainment, the company is the official partner of the NBA and has covered a wide variety of sporting events including wrestling, monster truck driving and boxing.
Apple could be targeting that stream upscaling tech in an attempt to give Apple TV Plus a unique selling point to differentiate it from competitors Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
Right now, Apple TV Plus is arguably lacking a truly unique spin to set it apart from the rest of the streaming platforms on offer. If Apple’s new deal bags tech that could upscale the quality of the platforms streams though, that could soon change.
Apple TV Plus failed to set itself apart with its original content on launch, receiving mixed reviews despite the plethora of star names on offer, from Jason Momoa to Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston. It doesn’t have any licensed content to fall back on either, thanks to Apple’s policy of only showing original content on the platform.
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The launch wasn’t a complete flop, with some critics eventually taking to The Morning Show, but overall Apple didn’t make the waves it hoped to. Could higher quality streaming help them put the cat amongst the streaming pigeons?
Equally, will we see Apple TV Plus developing a VR string to its bow, following the acquisition of NextVR? It’s certainly possible.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.