ARKit

Update: NextVR has replaced its website with a landing page announcing a ‘new direction’ without its existing service.

Update 2x: Apple has confirmed the acquisition to Bloomberg.

It’s no secret that Apple has ambitious plans for augmented reality and a future AR-focused headset. Apple is practically building the platform for its future headset out in the open with ARKit. What’s new is that Apple is believed to be in the process of acquiring a California-based virtual reality company called NextVR, 9to5Mac has learned.

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It’s not everyday that a new app comes around and meets two very different interests. The brand new Pocket Rocket app does that for me, however, mixing SpaceX rocket launches with augmented reality on the iPhone using ARKit.

The new Pocket Rocket app from Tim Isenman, Aaron Abentheuer, and Kimi Talvitie is super polished in a style die-hard SpaceX fans will appreciate. It’s also easy-to-use and approachable so brand new space explorers can jump in and start using it.

The use of AR in Pocket Rocket adds a playful element to it that makes learning about current space missions more engaging. If you are a space fan, the opening animation is worth the price of admission alone.

Apple’s Find My app will include useful new features in iOS 14, 9to5Mac has learned, including augmented reality mode and new location triggers. The features described are based on an early build of iOS 14 obtained by 9to5Mac.

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Apple’s update to its augmented reality Quick Look feature to let retailers sell their products and more right within the AR experience is starting to roll out from major brands like Home Depot, Wayfair, Bang & Olufsen, and more.

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IKEA was an early adopter of Apple’s powerful ARKit platform with its ‘Place’ application for iOS. That app has received a major update today with a new interface, improved curation, support for viewing entire rooms in augmented reality, and more.

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Apple yesterday unveiled ARKit 3, adding support for features like people occlusion, motion capture, multiple face tracking, and much more. During a developer session on the new ARKit platform today, Apple offered additional detail on the functionality, including that it will be limited to only the most recent iPhones and iPads.

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A new company called Dent Reality is in the final development stages of bringing a sharp augmented reality indoor navigation platform to iOS for malls, airports, retail stores, and more. The developer built the SDK on ARKit and says it found a unique solution to highly accurate indoor location tracking without the need for iBeacons or other hardware.

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Warby Parker is out with an update to its iOS app that brings a useful new feature to its collection of spectacles: Virtual Try-On. With Apple’s ARKit and TrueDepth camera tech, the company’s new software lets users see “the realistic color, texture, and size of each style— using just your iPhone X [and later]” while shopping for new glasses with its app.

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LEGO today has officially launched its LEGO AR Playground app on iOS, incorporating ARKit technology to merge real LEGO sets with augmented action. The first ARKit Playgrounds app from the company arrives with a NINJAGO theme.

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A new report from Business Insider today reveals that after making its first stab at acquiring Leap Motion back in 2013, Apple may have made another offer between $30m-$50m for the augmented reality start up this year.

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Apple has made it clear that augmented reality is a big area of focus as it moves forward, and analysts are beginning to agree. As noted by CNBC, Bank of America Merrill Lynch believes that AR could turn into an $8 billion revenue stream for Apple…

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As has become the norm over recent years, John Gruber was joined by a pair of Apple executives for his live episode of The Talk Show at WWDC. This year, Mike Rockwell, Apple’s head of augmented reality, and marketing executive Greg Joswiak, joined Gruber to talk iOS 12, augmented reality, and much more.

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Alongside the introduction of ARKit 2.0 this morning, Adobe has introduced what they call Project Aero, a new augmented reality authoring tool for designers and developers.

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As part of iOS 12, Apple has introduced ARKit 2.0 with a host of improvements. The latest version brings performance improvements, multiplayer support, and more.

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Apple kicked off its WWDC keynote starting with iOS 12 and Augmented Reality. Along with further ARKit developments, like USDZ file format, and upcoming native USDZ support in Adobe Creative Cloud, and ARKit 2, it unveiled Measure. Measure is a first-party ARKit-enabled Measuring app shipping with iOS 12 that can auto-detect dimensions of objects in 3D space and provide automatic measurements.
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As we inch closer to Apple’s WWDC keynote on Monday, new details are starting to slip out about what the company plans to present. Reuters is reporting that Apple plans to upgrade ARKit, Apple’s augmented reality framework for iOS, with the ability for two users to see the same virtual object in space. The feature will reportedly be implemented in a way that considers data privacy for users as well.

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