NEW YORK: Apple Inc has acquired Mira, a Los Angeles-based augmented reality (AR) startup that makes headsets for other companies and the United States military, The Verge reports, citing a post from Mira chief executive officer’s private Instagram account and a person familiar with the matter.

This came a day after Apple unveiled a costly AR headset called the Vision Pro, one of its riskiest bets since the introduction of the iPhone more than a decade ago, barging into a market dominated by Meta Platforms.

Apple’s headset will test a market crowded with devices that have yet to gain traction with consumers and put it in direct competition with Facebook-owner Meta after years of clashes between the companies over issues like user privacy and control of developer platforms.

 - Reuters