Apple has bought an AR headset startup called Mira

Apple has acquired Mira, a Los Angeles-based AR startup that makes headsets for other companies and the US military, according to a post spotted yesterday from the CEO’s personal Instagram account. ledge and persons familiar with the matter. Apple confirmed the acquisition.

The news comes just a day after Apple unveiled the Vision Pro, a $3,499 mixed reality headset that the company has billed as a new “spatial” computing platform. It’s unclear how much Apple paid for Mira, which has raised about $17 million in funding to date. Jony Ive, Apple’s former design chief, was at one point an advisor to the startup, according to two former employees who requested anonymity without the company’s permission.

sent apple ledge It gave a specific statement of when it buys a company: “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we don’t generally discuss our objectives or plans.” A spokeswoman wouldn’t answer whether it would continue to put Mira’s military contracts on the record, but knowing how Apple operates, the military work is highly unlikely to continue.

Mira’s military contracts include a smaller contract with the US Air Force and a $702,351 contract with the Navy, according to government records and press releases. The Air Force’s contract for military pilots at Travis Air Force Base is to use the startup’s Prism Pro headset to display things like heads-up instrument instructions. According to the company’s website, “Mira builds the most scalable Augmented Reality hardware + software solutions on the market—enabling the frontline workforce with communication tools and information.”

Another big Mira contract is with Nintendo World, which uses its headset for Mario Kart Ride at their theme parks in Japan and Universal Studios in LA. Mira’s headset displays virtual characters and items from the game as you move through it.

Apple has brought on at least 11 employees from Mira as part of the acquisition, according to a private post on CEO Ben Taft’s Instagram account, with several employees displaying badges. “Excited for the next chapter of merry, Apple :),” he wrote in the caption. “A 7 Year Journey From Dorm Room to Acquisition.”