Report: Apple buys augmented reality SDK startup Metaio

Apple has reportedly bought Metaio, a startup formerly offering augmented reality SDKs for a variety of platforms, including a plugin compatible with Unity. It launched a beta of its newest SDK about a year ago. The company was demoing its wares to potential clients and press earlier this year.

It appears that this is Apple's move into the augmented reality space, which has of late been heating up; TechCrunch has legal documents confirming the sale from Germany, where the company is based. "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans," an Apple spokesperson told the site.

For its part, Metaio had reportedly stopped taking new clients, and its homepage has radically changed from the state it was in earlier this year -- now containing almost no information at all. Its old SDK URL is inactive.

The AR space is picking up steam fast; Microsoft's HoloLens is a frontrunner in the tech, and Magic Leap is another major contender. In related news, Oculus VR this week acquired Surreal Vision, a startup with tech that scans the real world and brings it into virtual space.