Apple building secret team to work on virtual reality

NEW YORK – Apple Inc has assembled a large team of experts in virtual and augmented reality and built prototypes of headsets that could one day rival Facebook's Oculus Rift or Microsoft's Hololens, the Financial Times reported.

A secret research unit, housing hundreds of staff assembled from acquisitions or poached from other companies, is working on next-generation headset technologies, the FT reported, citing people familiar with the initiative.

The newspaper had previously reported the hiring of leading virtual reality researcher Doug Bowman by the iPhone maker.

Apple was not immediately available to comment. –Reuters