Apple has acquired an augmented reality company called Metaio.

According to legal documents obtained by TechCrunch, Apple has acquired augmented reality company Metaio. Additionally, according to the company's website, Metaio has suspended purchases of its products and subscriptions.

Prior to today, Metaio offered up a range of tools for developers of augmented reality applications, including an SDK, an AR authoring tool, and cloud services for distributing content updates for AR apps. An example of Metaio's technology in action is an app from Ferrari, seen below, that creates a virtual showroom on a user's device.

It's unclear where Metaio's technology may fit in with Apple's plans, but we have seen recent hints that the company is looking to bring augmented reality features to Apple Maps in a future update, codenamed "Proactive."

Source: TechCrunch