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Technology and the Internet

Apple wins patent for iPhone-powered virtual reality headset

By Tracey Lien
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Apple hasn’t shown interest in virtual reality like its Silicon Valley peers Google and Facebook have … until now.

The technology giant was granted a patent Tuesday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a “head-mounted display apparatus for retaining a portable electronic device with display,” or, put plainly, a wireless headset that uses an iPhone as a screen.

Diagrams of the device resemble Samsung’s Gear VR, a head-mounted display that uses the Galaxy Note 4 smartphone to power the headset. The Gear VR was designed in collaboration with Oculus VR, an Irvine company that Facebook acquired last year for almost $2 billion.

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When reached for comment, an Apple spokeswoman said the company does not comment on patent filings.

If Apple goes ahead with an investment in VR, it will join a group of companies pursuing the mobile-powered virtual reality market, including Samsung with the Gear VR, and Google, which created the low-end Google Cardboard and recently collaborated with Mattel to launch a virtual reality View-Master.

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Technology and the Internet
Tracey Lien

Tracey Lien covered Silicon Valley and the technology industry for The Times’ business section before leaving in 2018 to pursue her MFA at the University of Kansas. A Sydney native, she came to the U.S. because the servings are bigger. She enjoys perpetuating lies about Australian animals, specifically drop bears and boxing kangaroos.

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