Metaio GmbH

Metaio was founded in 2003 by Günter Greiner, Peter Meier, and Thomas Alt, researchers at the Technical University of Munich. The company grew out of an internal project within Volkswagen that received a German grant.

In 2005 Metaio released an AR application called KPS Click & Design in Germany, which allowed the user to put virtual furniture into an image of their living room. Metaio also released the Unifeye Platform, which third-party developers could use to create commercial AR products. In 2006, Metaio released a browser plug-in for web-based AR applications.

Shortly thereafter, Metaio launched an AR application for mobile devices, Junaio.

From 2010 to 2012, Metaio presented a tracking application for print and television on a consumer mobile device and as a result, won the ISMAR Tracking Contest in 2011.

Starting in 2006, Metaio has organized insideAR, an annual event for augmented reality developers, researchers, and businesses.

In May 2015, Metaio cancelled its upcoming conference and discontinued all sales of its products. On May 28, 2015, media outlets reported that Apple Inc. had bought the company, and finalized the purchase on May 21 or 22.

Metaio developed several augmented reality software tools, including the Metaio SDK, which enabled developers to build AR applications for mobile and desktop platforms. The company also created Junaio, a mobile augmented reality browser available on iOS and Android devices. Other products included Metaio Creator, a tool for designing AR experiences without programming, and Metaio Cloud, a platform for managing AR content.