Augmented Reality (AR) is mixing real-world images with artificial ones in real time – sometimes also known as Mixed Reality. This contrasts with Virtual Reality (VR) where the entire image is artificial.
AR has been around for literally decades, but hasn’t yet become a mainstream technology. Google tried to change this with Project Tango, but this required special hardware and didn’t catch on. All this looks set to change, however, with Apple’s promotion of the technology.
Apple has released ARKit, a platform that allows developers to easily create augmented reality apps, and is expected to make this a major focus of the iPhone 8 launch. Google later switched to the same approach, with ARCore.
Although Tim Cook says that Apple is much more excited about AR than VR, Apple is not entirely ignoring the latter. High Sierra is the first version of macOS with support for VR, and Apple has said that it will integrate with Valve, so should be compatible with existing VR headsets like the HTC Vive.
Following up after an earlier report from Bloomberg on Apple’s behind the scenes efforts developing augmented reality tech, Financial Times is out with a profile today highlighting efforts by Apple, Facebook, and Magic Leap to build AR smart glasses.
Building on Bloomberg’s report that detailed Apple’s team of hundreds of engineers working on augmented reality features for iPhone that could later debut in a glasses product, FT says Apple has been working on the project for over a year and claims a launch is still at least a year away and “perhaps much longer.”
While Apple has made clear that it has a keen interest in augmented reality, there have been conflicting reports about what form those features might take and how they might make their debut. A new Bloomberg report seeks to shed light on both questions.
The report echoes earlier ones that Apple has a large number of engineers working on AR features, and that they will be seen first in the iPhone …
With growing speculation that a rumored 3D sensor on the iPhone 8 will be used for augmented reality applications, a Barclays research note has described the two different ways this could work. Based on supply-chain reports, Barclays believes Apple actually intends to use a combination of the two.
The simplest way to sense 3D space is to use what the note calls Time of Flight (ToF). An emitter transmits a signal (for example, in infrared) and times how long it takes to bounce off an object in front of the iPhone and return to a sensor. From a series of timed returns, the iPhone can build up a 3D image of what is in front of it.
But there’s a second method which uses a more sophisticated approach …
A UBS research note seen by Business Insider says that Apple is believed to have more than 1,000 engineers working on an augmented reality project, and that the company’s first AR offering may be seen in the iPhone 8.
According to some industry sources, the company may have over 1,000 engineers working on a project in Israel that could be related to AR […] UBS expects Apple could implement new AR products as early as in the next iPhone, expected later this year, which could include “moderate 3D mapping … and possibly an AR software development kit,” the note says.
The note is consistent with a KGI one stating that the iPhone 8 will include a ‘revolutionary‘ camera able to sense 3D space …
Today’s KGI report is just the latest piece of evidence that Apple has serious plans to somehow work with 3D space. Acquisitions, supply chain reports, patents and even comments by Tim Cook all add up to a definite interest in something in the 3D space. The question is: what?
There’s a lot of confusion surrounding terminology, so we thought it would be a good idea to start by distinguishing between the various terms being thrown around in this space – Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) – before discussing Apple’s interest in 3D …
Tim Cook really wants people to know that he’s deeply interested in AR. The Apple CEO hypes augmented reality every chance he gets, and he’s doing it in the same way he teased the wrist as an interesting space before the Apple Watch and the living room as stuck in the 70s before tvOS.
During his week-long trip across Europe, Cook went as far as saying he regards AR “as a big idea like the smartphone” in an interview with The Independent.
A rather speculative KGI note suggests that Apple’s focus on augmented reality (AR) instead of virtual reality (VR) will give the company a 3-5 year lead on the rest of the industry when it launches its first products. The report also suggests that Apple could use augmented reality as part of an autonomous driving system.
All of Apple’s past successes were related to human-machine interfaces, such as mouse for Mac, click wheel for iPod, and multi-touch for iPhone and iPad. Assuming Apple successfully develops AR, we predict the firm will enjoy the following competitive advantages: (1) redefining existing key products and leading competitors by three to five years. For instance, this could happen for iPhone, iPad and Mac; (2) eliminating obstacles of Apple Watch and Apple TV by offering an innovative user experience; and (3) entering new business fields, such as autonomous driving system.
KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo doesn’t, though, expect Apple to launch its first AR product any time soon …
Snapchat has been on a roll lately introducing bigger and more creative updates to their social network. From introducing custom geofilters, to a massive overhaul in their chat system, they show no signs of slowing down. Today’s update takes video interactions a step further by allowing you to “pin” stickers and emojis to moving objects in video. The update will be rolling out to Android today and soon to iOS.
Apple today has started selling the View-Master Virtual Reality Starter Pack on its online store. With all the news about the company building out and prototyping virtual reality tech, it’s interesting to see it offering a glimpse at what that future tech may be by selling the device on the online store. Harkening back to the classic ideals of the View-Masters from the past, the new View-Master allows users to go on exciting new adventures. Utilizing a mix of augmented reality and virtual reality, these adventures are now taken to a whole new level. Taking advantage of Experience Packs, users can navigate space, various destinations, and wildlife through a mix of AR and VR.
An amateur astronomer friend has a motorized telescope that allows you to tap in the name of the object you want to see – a constellation, a planet, a deep-sky object – and it automatically locates them in the sky. Universe2go offers an equally hi-tech but more casual approach to stargazing suitable for beginners – including kids.
Universe2go is an augmented reality system that uses your iPhone to do the clever stuff. In essence, it’s a more sophisticated version of Google Cardboard. You open the companion app on your iPhone, snap your phone into the plastic enclosure and then look through the goggles at the night sky. An angled mirror overlays your actual view of the sky with labels from the app.
Pause with the green pointer over a planet or constellation, and the app provides visual data and an audio commentary. Alternatively, choose an object in advance and the app uses the display to direct you to the correct part of the sky before using the augmented reality system to highlight it …
<a href="http://9to5mac.com/2016/01/05/speck-pocket-vr-viewer/" target="_blank">Speck’s VR solution on the iPhone</a>
During this week’s earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook answered a question on virtual reality by saying “I don’t think VR is a niche…It’s really cool and has some interesting applications.” It looks like Cook’s statements have some background to them. According to a new Financial Times report, Apple had reportedly been prototyping VR headsets in the past under Steve Jobs in the mid-2000s, but the project was eventually abandoned once the technology was found to still be immature. With new acquisitions and a dedicated VR team, the effort is said to be once again a new focus.
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…
According to a new report out of the Financial Times, Apple has hired one of the top virtual reality researchers in the United States to expedite its efforts in the platform. The report claims that Apple has recently hired Doug Bowman, who most recently was a computer science professor at Virginia Tech before taking a sabbatical. At Virginia Tech, he was the director of the university’s human-computer interaction center for around five years.
UI concept for VR iPhone case Pinć from Cordon Labs
Apple has recently hired a lead engineer from Microsoft’s HoloLens team, leading to more speculation that it could be working on its own augmented reality project behind the scenes.
Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster first spotted the change of positions for Nick Thompson, who was reportedly previously leading audio hardware engineering efforts for Microsoft’s Hololens augmented reality project: Expand Expanding Close
As we ramp up for Star Wars: The Force Awakens to hit theaters in December, we are getting Storm Trooper Bluetooth speakers, a new mobile RPG and a SW themed playset for the upcoming Disney 3.0. But it looks like it won’t stop there as Disney has just launched an official new mobile app. Simply named “Star Wars”, this is not a game, but rather a new hub app for “breaking news, rich media, social updates, special events, interactive features” and more:
On top of a basic newsfeed that draws content from all the official Star Wars channels and some typical countdown timers to big releases, there are also some interactive elements to the app as well. There are soundboard and GIF features that provide official clips from the films that users can share on message apps and even a SW themed weather function that compares current temperatures with well-known locations from the Star Wars mythos.
You’ll also find Augmented Reality experiences, a lightsaber trainer that makes use of your device’s motion sensor, and the ability to take as many Star Wars selfies as your heart desires. Much like the Show Your Disney Side app, you can choose from a number of popular costumes from the films, settings and the ability to drop other characters in the background.
Apple has acquired Metaio, a company specializing in several application related to augmented reality. Metaio mysteriously announced that it will stop selling its services last night, and filings with the German government this week indicate that the Apple acquisition is a done deal:
Apple was today awarded a patent for touch-free, motion sensing gestures within 3D GUI concepts just as the company reassigns a patent related to 3D mapping technologies that it picked up through its acquisition of PrimeSense. Expand Expanding Close
It’s hard to think of anything lower-tech than a Post-it note: you write on a sticky square of paper and slap it onto a physical surface. But 3M has just launched a clever iOS app that allows you to photograph a bunch of Post-it notes, tap on-screen to select the ones you want to keep and then organize them on your iPhone or iPad before outputting to apps like PowerPoint.
The Post-it® Plus App takes the momentum from your collaboration sessions and keeps it rolling. Simply capture your notes, organize and share with everyone. That way your great ideas don’t stop when the meeting ends.
Getting started is easy. Use the app to capture an image of the Post-it® Notes from your work session. Arrange, refine and organize the notes and ideas on your board anyway you see fit. Then share your organized board with your team and send to your favorite applications —including PowerPoint, Excel, Dropbox and plenty more.
The app recognizes any size Post-it note so long as they are square (and, indeed, even works with Mac OS Stickies if you photograph your desktop). It’s a free download from iTunes.
After becoming available to all Android users back in December, Google this evening finally launched its popular Ingress game on iOS. The game originally launched in a closed beta all the way back in 2012, but has slowly been expanding to gradually larger audiences ever since.
Star Walk, the popular and award-winning astronomy app which has previously been featured in Apple’s ads, has just lauched a brand-new version with a redesigned interface for iOS 7. It has the same look and feel as the new OS, with a clean, flat interface. The new Star Walk makes it easier than ever to stargaze. Now you no longer have to deal with reading and interpreting star charts, or twisting and turning in awkward positions to find the objects you are looking for while holding a red light.
Using this augmented reality app, users just need to hold and point the iPhone, iPod Touch or the iPad up at the sky. The app reveals over two hundred thousand stars (in their original color according to the star catalog), constellations, planets, satellites, comets and galaxies. Best of all the device does not have to be connected to the internet or a 3G network to use.
A German surgeon has used an iPad with augmented reality software running on it to assist in a liver operation in Bremen, Germany, reports Reuters.
The iPad camera was used to photograph the liver, while the iPad app overlayed a virtual 3D model of the pre-op plan. Want to see what that looks like? Make sure you’re not eating anything before you look at the photos below the fold … Expand Expanding Close
Minecraft Reality: Minecraft developers Mojang officially announced a new augmented reality iOS app yesterday dubbed “Minecraft Reality” allowing players to view their Minecraft creations in the real world. The app was developed by 13th lab with a little help from Mojang using advanced computer vision and augmented reality tech. Users will also be able to save their creations at specific real-world locations for others users to discover:
The app uses your iOS device’s camera to track the surroundings, before projecting creations onto the landscape. You get to view the mind-boggling results on-screen. You can change the size of your object as you please, and even wander around it to view from different angles… Imagine being able to dump your Minecraft creations into the real world for other people to find. You could put an exploding creeper in your school, a cheeky pig in your garden, or a giant enemy crab on the beach, if you like.
– Optimized for iPhone 5 and iOS 6
– Bug fixes and performance enhancements
– iOS 4.3 or above is now required
Dropbox version 1.5.7:Dropbox gets a few nice new features today including improved video streaming, support for Password-protected Office documents on iOS 6, Italian and Iberian Spanish language support, and more.
• Improved video streaming
• Italian and Iberian Spanish language support
• Support for Password-protected Office documents (iOS 6)
• Various bug fixes and performance improvement
Autodesk FormIt: A new mobile app from Autodesk will allow you to “Use real-world site information to help create forms in context and support early design decisions with real building data.” In other words, the ability to create building design concepts using a gallery of shapes, a searchable map interface, and satellite imagery to “design directly in the context of your proposed building location.” The iPad app is available for free on the App Store.
KORG iPolysix: KORG is releasing an analog polyphonic synthesizer app today for iPad that uses its “proprietary “CMT” (Component Modeling Technology) to simulate the actual electronic circuits” of the 1981 six-voice Polysix analog polyphonic synthesizer. The app is 50% off to celebrate its introduction.
We just love surprises here at 9to5Mac, from the news that the MacBook Pro is the biggest-selling laptop on Amazon at time of writing (second-best in the UK) to the peachy-keen deals on Apple Protection there, but that’s not what this story is about — this surprise comes from the developers at Occipital who have uncovered secret augmented reality capabilities within Mobile Safari for iOS 4.2, woot!! Expand Expanding Close
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