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Opinion: Now is the time for Apple to enter the VR market, but it shouldn’t go all in

Apple has long been rumored to have an interest in the virtual reality market, but the company itself has always remained quiet on the technology. That’s not an unusual strategy for Apple, though, as it often only makes very general, or even negative, comments about a technology until it is ready to announce its own foray into a market. During the company’s earnings call for the first quarter of 2016, however, CEO Tim Cook was asked about his opinions on virtual reality.

Speaking on the call, Cook said that he thinks virtual reality has some interesting applications and noted that he doesn’t think it is a niche market, a comment often used against the technology by its naysayers. “I don’t think VR is a niche,” Cook said. “It’s really cool and has some interesting applications.”

This begs the question as to what exactly Apple has planned for virtual reality. There are a variety of possibilities, some of which companies like Google have already capitalized on. As we’ve learned in the past, however, Apple has no problem with launching its own version of a technology later in the game. So, let’s talk about some of the potential places in which Apple could implement virtual and augmented reality technologies…

Apple has made a variety of acquisitions relating to the virtual and augmented reality technologies. Earlier this year, it acquired a company called Emotient. Emotient used artificial intelligence to detect emotions by analyzing facial expressions. In a similar fashion, the company also recently acquired Faceshift, the company behind the motion capture technology used in Star Wars.

The acquisitions of Faceshift and Emotient combined present a few intriguing possibilities. Ben Lovejoy broke down a handful of them earlier, but some of it bares repeating again, especially taking into account the acquisition of Emotient. Perhaps the most interesting possibility in my opinion comes in facial recognition to unlock devices. I don’t think this has a huge use case for iPhones, but for Apple TV and Mac it’s a different story.

Impinge that, as soon as you sat down in front of your TV, Apple was able to recognize that it was you and propagated your Apple TV with your personalized content, including apps, TV, music, and movie suggestions, and more. This would make it much easier for families to share Apple TVs without having content overlap. The same principle applies to the Mac. You sit down in front of your Mac and your personalized user account is automatically loaded without you having to enter a password or anything.

Personally, I don’t think facial recognition for device unlocking has as big of an application for the iPhone. With Touch ID already as quick as it is and with iPhones not being devices that are commonly shared by more than one user, it just doesn’t seem realistic for Apple to invest too much time into implanting facial recognition into the iPhone.

On the other hand, facial recognition could be used on the iPhone to identify the people in a picture on the go. Imagine that as you’re taking a picture, iOS is able to immediately identify who else is in the picture and tag. You could even set it up so that if you took a picture with a family member, iOS could recognize who it was and immediately share it with them via AirDrop. This would replace the age-old process of taking an image on everyone’s phone or taking an image and iMessaging it to the other people in it.

Currently on the market there a variety of headsets that enable virtual reality from existing smartphones. Perhaps most notable is Google Cardboard. Just as the name implies, it’s a literal cardboard structure with a slot for a smartphone that gives virtual reality-like experiences. There’s also the Facebook-owned Oculus Rift that’s launching later this year. I don’t necessarily see Apple entering the market of developing its own virtual reality headsets, however, but rather creating platform on which other companies can build virtual reality headsets and apps.

Think something similar to HomeKit and TVKit platforms that Apple offers. Apple has yet to build its own hardware for things like iPhone-controlled thermostats and lights, but rather a platform on which other companies can build their hardware and integrate it with iOS. For instance, look at the Speck Pocket VR headset that was announced at CES earlier this month. The Pocket VR features a collapsible design and is compatible with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s and gives iOS users a Google Cardboard-like experience.

The issue at the moment with things like the Speck Pocket VR, though, is that there is not a lot of content available on iOS for the platform. So if Apple were to release a VRKit of some sort for developers, they could build virtual reality apps for third-party viewers like the Speck model. Along with VRKit, Apple could apply its Made For iPhone (MFi) standard to VR headsets, as well, allowing companies to work in conjunction with Apple on bringing virtual reality to more people, without Apple itself having to invest too much time or effort into the technology.

If Apple were to build its own virtual reality hardware, which I think is very unlikely for the foreseeable future, there is no part of me that thinks it will be anything that resembles Google Glass. Google Glass arguably proved that the average person doesn’t want a piece of hardware to attached to their face at all times. Apple’s solution should be something focused on gaming rather than delivering 24/7 information. That’s what the Apple Watch is for.

The Apple TV presents a huge opportunity for virtual reality as far as gaming goes. The idea of putting on a headset while gaming on a TV is something that has been around for ages, and if job postings are anything to go by, it’s something Apple is hard at work developing a platform for. In 2014, the company posted a job listing looking for people to build “VR gaming experiences and cinematic user interfaces” for future products:

Play a part in the next revolution in user experience by delivering cinematic user interfaces and simplifying human interface in fundamental ways. Build a team to develop new user interaction solutions, while working on innovative products… This engineer will create high performance apps that integrate with Virtual Reality systems for prototyping and user testing

At the same time, however, Google Glass and Google Cardboard have proved that there is a huge market for virtual reality in enterprise markets. For instance, earlier this month we saw Google Cardboard used to save the life of a young child with heart and lung issues. With Apple already pushing its iPad and Mac lineup in the enterprise market with its IBM partnership, there are a handful of different ways in which it could partner with hospitals and the like to implement virtual reality technology.

One of the more intriguing possibilities for Apple to implement augmented reality is in the camera on the iPhone. Google has its Project Tango initiative and earlier this year announced the first consumer-ready device in partnership with Lenovo. While unveiling the device at CES, Lenovo and Google showed off how they could instantly map out the stage and reconfigure it with furniture such as a couch and a refrigerator. Project Tango uses real-time mapping technology paired with a complex setup of cameras and sensors to map the 3D space around users in real time and it is wicked cool. Think of Apple integrating something like this into the iPhone’s camera…

In 2012, Apple was granted a patent for a technology relating to 3D camera technologies related to augmented reality. The patent detailed how the camera would be capable of recognizing facial expressions and gestures while creating 3D models of scanned objects. This technology would lend itself very nicely to a Project Tango-like technology. Furthermore, a patent application recently surfaced suggesting that the company was considering a twin-camera system for future iOS devices. A two-camera set-up opens up a wide array of possibilities when it comes to augmented reality.

Perhaps most telling about Apple’s augmented reality plans is its acquisition of Metaio last year. Metaio specialized in integrating augmented reality into every day life. For instance, the company opened the door for virtually trying on clothing. The technology in the video below was created using Metaio’s SDK and shows how augmented reality can be used in viewing historical landmarks as they looked hundreds of years ago.

No matter how you look at it, virtual and augmented reality are becoming more common technologies with every passing year. Now that Apple has officially acknowledged its interest in the market, it will be interesting to see where it goes. As I mentioned before, I don’t see Apple getting into the hardware-side of virtual reality anytime soon, but rather creating a platform for others to develop their own apps and hardware for.

Personally, however, I think that the most interesting possibility for Apple is in integrating augmented reality technologies into the iPhone camera. Imagine being able to hold your camera up and using just your iPhone, be able to map out a place in real time, adding layers and making changes.

What do you think Apple has in store for virtual reality? Let us know in the comments!

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Comments

  1. o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

    As I’ve commented on this before, I think the best thing Apple could do with augmented reality is through the camera as well. In the future you will hold you iPhone up, and through the camera, you’ll see things pop up on the screen, detailing what any object is, a link to Wikipedia, a link to more images, news about it, where you can purchase it, it’s history, etc. So, for example, if you see a dog or a tree and you don’t know the names of these, it would highlight them and show information live on the screen. If you scan over a document or sign in a foreign language, it shows it in your native language, in real-time, as if it was in your native language right in front of you. If you hold it up at a park you can see events planned, time of closing, the name of the park, or a state park you could see trails on the screen, history about things that have happened there, wildlife that can be seen there, etc.

    Moving further, there will be sensors on the backs of iPhones alongside the multiple camera sensors and these will all combine to make these things possible, and much more. Like thermal imaging, infrared, 3D mapping, etc., which could help someone see danger, or help someone get out of danger. If you were in a house fire or building fire, you could see where the fire is, or be navigated through a dark smoke filled room by looking at the iPhone screen.

    Later still, you’ll see further environmental and even medical purposes. For example, there will be a point where you’ll be able to scan organic tissue looking for disease or injury.

    That is the future of smartphones.

    The future of wearables on the other hand, is innumerable, but most importantly, biometric sensing.

    • Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 8 years ago

      I don’t think a Firefighter is going to risk damaging an iPhone in the scenario you described because when they enter a building that’s on fire, it’s too hot for a mobile device to work. remember, these devices only work up to a certain temperature range and in a building that’s on fire is MUCH higher than what a smartphone, laptop or table can withstand unless they have the thing completely wrapped in a fire proof “suit”.

      While your ideology is nice, I don’t think it’s possible and to expect to be done with a product that’s meant for the masses when there is a need for a more specialized product that is more designed for a specific purpose/environment.

      I personally don’t have any need for augmented reality, just regular reality is more than enough. I think VR is for certain things and I’m sure it will have it’s place, but I don’t need it and I honestly don’t think the majority of the pubic at large will either.

      Look at just the Google Glass type products, they aren’t selling well. I have yet to see a Glasshole wearing one of those things and I certainly wouldn’t want to engage in any discussions with someone wearing them out of fear that they might record the conversation and post it on YouTube without my permission.

      I think the concept of 1984 with the government always looking our shoulders is nowin the place of everyone, so WE, ourselves are the ones we have to protect ourselves from,not necessarily just the Government.

      I think people are looking at wearables because they are running out of ideas for the traditional computing model and they are just conjuring up things for wearables since it’s new and it hasn’t been done to death yet. But I don’t see much use for the masses with regards to VR. I think it’s a niche technology.

      • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

        I didn’t say a single thing about a firefighter. Firefighters will be wearing helmets with augmented reality. It’s extremely useful for mass consumer market and you will see it proliferate that’s a guarantee. There are so many applications for it, it’s unreal. You have to have the imagination and vision for that though, which most people don’t have.

  2. triankar - 8 years ago

    I agree that Apple probably won’t be making the device. (insert cynisicm) It’s not something you can flaunt at the cafeteria.

    I see VR/AR a great educational tool, or it could be very useful for civil engineers / architects and pretty much anyone who wants to give somebody a virtual tour of someplace.

  3. rob nienburg (@robogobo) - 8 years ago

    This is the Begging the Question police, come out with your phraseology up! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begging_the_question

  4. Randy March - 8 years ago

    http://begthequestion.info ;-)

  5. Randy March - 8 years ago

    SceneKit—a 3D graphics library on OS X and iOS—could be improved to support VR quite easily, hence making upgrading a game/3D visualisation app to support VR quite trivial for many developers using it.

  6. Apple is just patiently waiting to see who they should copy like they always do.

    • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

      That’s funny. They’re working on it right now, anyone that doesn’t think that isn’t very smart.

    • mytawalbeh - 8 years ago

      Apple ? Copy ? these two words have never matched together !
      But … adding “ied” it does make sense.

  7. Eddie Adams - 8 years ago

    This is the only device that I wouldn’t complain about how thin Apple would make it.

  8. Jake Becker - 8 years ago

    VR is the new 3D and has been since the first concepts appeared……
    Augmented reality as already stated seems a far more effective term and direction.

Author

Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is an editor for the entire 9to5 network and covers the latest Apple news for 9to5Mac.

Tips, questions, typos to chance@9to5mac.com