Apple hires a virtual reality expert

Could virtual reality be one of Apple's next big focus areas? FT suggests the tech giant may be working on smartphone-based virtual reality technology, as evidenced by the fact that Apple just hired Doug Bowman, one of the top US researchers in the virtual reality field.

Doug Bowman recently joined Apple after going on sabbatical from his post as computer science professor at Virginia Tech, where he had been director of its centre for human-computer interaction for around five years.

According to his academic profile, Mr Bowman focused his research on “three-dimensional user interface design and the benefits of immersion in virtual environments”.

Apple has filed some patents for smartphone-based VR headsets but it's still hard to guess which direction the company wants to go. I guess we'll learn more in the coming months/years.