Update: NextVR has replaced its website with a landing page announcing a ‘new direction’ without its existing service.

Update 2x: Apple has confirmed the acquisition to Bloomberg.

It’s no secret that Apple has ambitious plans for augmented reality and a future AR-focused headset. Apple is practically building the platform for its future headset out in the open with ARKit. What’s new is that Apple is believed to be in the process of acquiring a California-based virtual reality company called NextVR, 9to5Mac has learned.

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Late last year, a report claimed that Apple had made a $50 million offer to acquire virtual reality startup Leap Motion. Now, The Wall Street Journal reports that Leap Motion has agreed to sell itself to UltraHaptics, a UK-based competitor.

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While Apple is getting serious with both AR and VR this year thanks to iOS 11 and more powerful Mac hardware, IDC has new data on the forecast for augmented and virtual reality mainstream adoption. IDC expects “dedicated AR and VR headsets collectively” to reach nearly 100 million units by 2021 compared to just under 10 million units last year.

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Google has been making great efforts lately in bringing virtual reality to anyone with a smartphone, and the latest update to its YouTube app makes finding VR content super easy. YouTube for iOS now includes a dedicated Cardboard button, which automatically transforms any video into VR mode for watching with Google Cardboard.

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