Apple’s acquisition of Augmented Reality (AR) will use its existing solutions to deliver personalized experiences with a special focus on health, location, and entertainment.
Why do I think that?
Yesterday I brought the news that Apple works with a company called Dent reality on indoor mapping technologies. The smaller company has been working with ARKit since its debut.
Now it uses Apple’s indoor maps ecosystem to provide high-precision indoor mapping solutions that are said to be high-precision and do not require beacons. The focus of the demonstrations on the Dent Reality website is heavily on navigating in shopping centers and malls. However, this can easily be expanded.
The key is how the system works. On its website, Dent Reality explains:
“We thought about how an indoor map should be designed to match people’s perceptions of the indoor environment.” It displays more information when needed and is designed to work seamlessly with the AR experience. Hold your phone down, we show the map. Hold up your phone, you are in AR. “
In other words, you can explore virtual experiences in two ways – on your phone or with AR glasses, the information of which is above the information displayed.
This is a step towards ..
The (expanded) human interface
Apple failed in his latest attempt to acquire Plessey Semiconductor. Plessey, one of the few manufacturers of microLEDs for AR displays worldwide, opted for a tech license and supply contract with Facebook.
Announcement of this message, the company said::
“We decided to work with Facebook to make their vision of Facebook come true The next computer platform is about peoplee. ”
(Mine italic).
Facebook plans to use the technology to build AR glasses. This is clearly a competition for Apple, which we know is trying to build something similar.
The interesting thing about Plessey is that it says Facebook’s vision of a “The next computer platform is about peoplee. “
If you explore the Plessey website, you will find that increased numbers of people are common in many countries illustrative applications of its technology. Examples include:
- Swimming goggles that provide the wearer with information about depth, speed and vital functions.
- Ski goggles with similar data points.
- Car windshields that provide access to relevant data while driving.
Each of these applications is a compelling application for AR – and Apple’s interest in the company suggests that similar deployments are being considered.
Apple’s own patents (and the numerous previous AR-related acquisitions) show the same thing. These include AR communication patents, virtual physical objects, and even advanced ones VR gloves for use in AR. Apparently Apple keeps a useful list.
Apple’s own AR apps
Earlier this month, 9to5Mac claimed that Apple is building its own AR app, Code name Gobi. Gobi is described as a solution that adds additional information to what you see on your iPhone.
Apple apparently develops it so that retail store visitors can quickly access prices and product information in an Apple store. The app also supports some kind of API that third-party developers can use to gain their own experience with the technology.
Similarly, Apple is reportedly developing an AR-based user interface for a revised version of its Find My app to be introduced in iOS 14. This makes it easier to find friends and Apple products, and is designed to work with them, and rumor has it that the company’s AirTags are an AR-based interface to find lost things.
I’ve also heard claims that the company is developing a form of immersive AR based bowling.
It is important to consider the importance of Apple’s addition of LiDAR to the iPad ProThis means that the tablet can be a very powerful tool for indoor mapping, object identification, and precise AR-based experiences.
And of course there have been recent apocryphal claims about a new one AR controller design hidden in Apple’s iOS code.
All together and what do we have?
Apple is gradually building up and improving its technologies. One of the best examples of this is the iPhone, the existence of which dates back to both Unix / Mac / NeXT and iTunes. With this in mind, it makes sense to speculate through a filter based on what is already there when you think about Apple’s future.
Record maps, arcade, and activity on Apple Watch.
Any of these solutions could make a leap to goggles.
- If you look around in maps, you can find people (in AR mode) or familiarize yourself with a destination when planning a trip.
- Activity data is useful for your goggles when you go swimming (which happens to be a use case that Plessey is investigating, as mentioned above). I believe that health, including applications for healthcare providers, will be one of the key foundations on which Apple will build future AR products.
- Arcade games could get VR / AR elements, an opportunity that’s hard to ignore.
Just one thing
Plessey Semiconductor is one of the few companies to manufacture microLED displays.
That Apple didn’t purchase it suggests:
- The development of Apple is so far advanced that the future supply of components must now be ensured.
- The company will now step up efforts to license or acquire technology from other companies that could fill this gap.
- Apple may already have a more complex agreement (involving other trusted partners) with other players in the room.
- And it will soon be necessary to discuss its plans a little more openly as it tries to focus developers on developing AR experiences.
Perhaps this is one of the more extensive discussions to be expected Apple’s online WWDC event in 2020? Unfortunately, it is also correct to assume that virtual experiences and interactions may play a greater role in everyone’s future than we thought.
