Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has posted new job openings, suggesting the company is working or at least planning to work on virtual reality systems. The company posted a listing for an “App Engineer.”
Job description from Apple
“We are looking for a software engineer to develop UI and applications to create next generation software experiences,” reads the listing.
Further, it was mentioned that an individual should be capable of participating in iterative UI design by executing different phases and complete “performant user experience” code for product delivery. The individual will be assigned the responsibility of designing high-performance apps that integrate with virtual reality systems for prototyping and user testing. The qualifications asked are iOS/OS X Application development, C/C++/Objective-C development and development of apps with user interaction.
A report from 9To5Mac suggested that as of now, it would not be right to conclude that Apple is planning to develop apps for its own VR systems or looking to assimilate its software into third-party products such as the recently launched PincVR headset for the iPhone 6 case. However, in both cases, the company is definitely considering virtual reality, an appetite that goes back six years when it took out a patent for an “automatically adjusting media display in a personal display system.”
Rivals already progressing in virtual reality market
Although it is not actually understood exactly what the company means by its “virtual reality systems,” the Cupertino, Calif.-based company is definitely interested in the concept. Which Apple hardware will be embedded with virtual reality technology is also in secret. Only last year, an Apple patent was showing a headset design that looked similar to an Oculus-rift style headset surfaced. The iPhone maker explained the headset as a “goggle system for providing a personal media viewing experience.” However, there was no mention of virtual reality applications precisely.
Apple rivals Oculus and Samsung have already urged developers create apps that will work on the Oculus Rift and Gear VR Virtual reality headsets with a focus on mobile. Apple could connect iOS apps with the headsets, but according to that previously filed patent, the company is expected to be working on its own virtual reality headset. Apple may or may not bring the technology in its products or at least the past record of the company indicates so, as Apple has filed many patents, but they were never made into products.
