Apple Purchased Akonia Holographics, a Company That Makes Lenses for AR Glasses

Apple has purchased a startup that makes lenses for augmented reality glasses, reports Reuters. The acquisition lends further evidence to rumors suggesting Apple is developing an augmented reality headset.

Akonia Holographics, the startup that Apple bought, advertises the "world's first commercially available volume holographic reflective and waveguide optics for transparent display elements in smart glasses."

applevrheadset
The displays that it makes are said to use the company's HoloMirror technology for "ultra-clear, full-color performance" to enable the "thinnest, lightest head worn displays in the world."

Apple confirmed the purchase to Reuters with the statement that it uses when it makes an acquisition: "Apple buys smaller companies from time to time, and we generally don't discuss our purpose or plans."

Akonia Holographics was founded in 2012 by holography scientists who focused on holographic data storage before moving on to develop displays for augmented reality glasses, according to the company's website.

It's not clear when exactly Apple purchased Akonia Holographics, but sources that spoke to Reuters suggested the company had become "very quiet" over the last six months, indicating the acquisition may have been made in the first half of 2018.

Multiple rumors have suggested Apple has a research unit of hundreds of employees working on AR and VR and exploring the ways the emerging technologies could be used in future Apple products.

Apple is said to be exploring several prototypes, including a powerful AR/VR headset with an 8K display for each eye and a set of augmented reality smart glasses with a dedicated display, a built-in processor, and an "rOS" or reality operating system. Rumors indicate that Apple's first AR or VR product could come out in 2019 or 2020.

Apple's purchase of Akonia Holographics is its second recent AR/VR related acquisition. In November 2017, Apple purchased Vrvana, a company that developed a mixed reality headset called Totem.

Related Roundup: Apple Vision Pro
Buyer's Guide: Vision Pro (Neutral)
Related Forum: Apple Vision Pro

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Wednesday October 1, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, and Safari. More features and changes will follow in future versions,...
iPhone 17 vs Air and Pros Feature

New iPhones See 'Stronger Than Expected' Demand With One Exception

Thursday October 2, 2025 7:26 am PDT by
Nearly two weeks after the iPhone 17 series launched, analysts at investment banking firm Morgan Stanley said demand for the devices has been "modestly stronger than we originally expected," based on a combination of extended shipping estimates on Apple's online store and information it gathered from Apple's supply chain. There has been strong early demand for the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro,...
macbook air prime day 2025

M5 MacBook Air: Release Date, Features, and Performance Predictions

Friday October 3, 2025 3:39 am PDT by
The MacBook Air is Apple's most popular laptop – a thin, fanless machine that wields quiet power thanks to the efficiency of Apple silicon. While the M4 model isn't exactly old, attention is already turning to its successor. Apple doesn't telegraph new product launches ahead of time, but we can draw a surprisingly clear picture of what to expect by looking at Apple's silicon roadmap,...
iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26 Adds These 200 New Features and Changes to Your iPhone

Saturday October 4, 2025 8:19 am PDT by
Apple's website offers a list of nearly 200 new features and changes (PDF file) included in the software update, released last month. Apple also shared equivalent lists for iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe. iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 and newer. To install the update, open the Settings app on your iPhone, tap on General, and tap on Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight ...
Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Event in October? Here's What to Expect

Monday September 29, 2025 9:31 am PDT by
Apple's annual iPhone event is in the rearview mirror, but rumors suggest the company plans to release a handful of additional products before the year ends. Will there be another Apple event this October? We discuss the possibility below. Apple in October Apple's most recent October events were in 2021 and 2023. In 2022 and 2024, Apple did not host an October event. Instead, it...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: Leaks Reveal What Apple Products Are Coming Next

Friday October 3, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
On this episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss the latest leaks about the next-generation iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, Studio Display, and Vision Pro. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Earlier this week, an apparent unboxing video of an updated iPad Pro with the M5 chip was shared online. The same YouTube account leaked the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip...
space black mbp

Here's Every New Apple Product That Leaked Yesterday

Wednesday October 1, 2025 8:27 am PDT by
A handful of upcoming Apple products leaked yesterday, through a combination of YouTube videos out of Russia and U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) documents that were released, despite Apple's confidentiality requests. The leaked products include an iPad Pro with an M5 chip, as well as updated MacBook Pro and Apple Vision Pro models. All of these devices had already been rumored...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

Apple's 2025 Product Roadmap: What's Still Coming

Wednesday October 1, 2025 3:56 pm PDT by
Apple's two big yearly events, WWDC and the iPhone launch, are done and over with, but there are still some new products that we're expecting to see before the end of the year. Apple TV The Apple TV hasn't been updated since 2022, so it's due for a refresh. It doesn't look like Apple is going to change the design of its set-top box, but we can expect a faster chip Apple code suggests...

Top Rated Comments

jeremiah256 Avatar
93 months ago
Only advantage of being old? The initial models of AR glasses are going to look wack, but elder-me won't care. Mixed reality headgear, cargo shorts, Tom Jones Vegas tour tee-shirt, knee high black socks, Birkenstocks, and fanny pack? Hell yeah! Now get off my (virtual) lawn!
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
asdavis10 Avatar
93 months ago
AR will be huge. Imagine watching tennis or golf and stats or overlays are shown. Or technicians getting dynamic schematics based on what they are working on. Or in the medical field. The application of a seamless AR wearable is almost endless besides as a fashion accessory. Apple can make this a utility application/device.

Based on Apple's R&D spending, there shouldn't be a reason why they couldn't be first and do it well. This would easily add $500B to their market cap.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Scottsoapbox Avatar
93 months ago
AR will be huge. Imagine watching tennis or golf and stats or overlays are shown.
Imagine watching a sport that doesn't require AR and overlays to make it interesting.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RogerWilco Avatar
93 months ago
AR -- the quadraphonics of the 21st Century. The technology will be adopted by a tiny group of true believers, cause endless industry and consumer debates resulting in multiple "standards", and in the end it will be forgotten.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Baymowe335 Avatar
93 months ago
AR is the future and Apple is going to own this market too.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
riverfreak Avatar
93 months ago
Zero innovation. We have the money. Hell lets just buy it instead. The signature of modern Apple. Sad.
McFly. Apple much? Smart and timely acquisitions are the name of the game. Heck, many startups position themselves for exactly that path. It’s not sad, it’s happy.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)