“Apple unveiled its new operating system for its iPhone and iPad products, the iOS 11, at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday,” Luke Graham reports for CNBC. “The system also introduces ARKit, a new framework for developers to more easily build apps that use augmented reality: the tech that allows devices to display computer-generated images over the real world.”
“Virtual and augmented reality product company Marxent has been developing AR apps for Apple products for six years. The company’s CEO and co-founder, Beck Besecker, called the announcement a “game changer” because it will help to embed the tech into everyday life,” Graham reports. “‘(This) could theoretically add a 4th dimension to how we experience the world,’ he told CNBC in an email comment. ‘Once Apple starts integrating AR into the most popular apps, like email, texting, photos, maps and music, it will bring AR into our lives in a deep and meaningful way on a daily basis.'”
“The field of augmented reality will benefit from Apple’s scale overnight,” Graham reports. “‘You’re talking about potentially 5+ million apps in the iOS store and hundreds of millions of devices that could incorporate AR within the next 2-3 years. If Apple gets this right, they will own the hardware market for years to come,’ [Besecker said.]”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: With ARKit in developers’ hands, the release of iOS 11 will instantly make Apple the proud owner of the largest AR platform in the world by far.
I think I must be in a cave somewhere. Is augmenting reality ethical? I recall National Geographic’s augmentation several years ago and the firestorm that followed. With all the augmention of news these days, how can this be a good thing? Color me concerned.
I prefer to color you confused but these augmentations will be crystal clear as to their purpose. You give the technology too much credit for nefarious purposes. But I guess you never know.
AR is a unprofitable fad right now, yes in 10 years maybe but not now.
My guess is more like 5
What is far greater than Apple’s AR is AR + iOS 11 + the iPhones/iPads that can and will run 11. This will truly turn the iPad into personal computing stations on par with and even greater than current low end PCs. Suddenly the lines will be FAR more than blurred between the current tech “sales” reporting of the PC industry – and reality.
The Tech News industry has been very reluctant to include iPad sales in with “computer” sales. Now this “news” industry will be seen as archaic at best -if they do not. Why report low end PC sales (used for internet surfing only) while not reporting iPhone and iPad sales that have far more power and are, or can be used for more production than those low end PCs?
Apple has the game changer that we have been waiting on!
They won’t change, they will make up some other column and put the iPad in that.
I think it will simply make iOS devices even more consumption centric. Google’s Project Tango is aimed at a slightly different segment of AR by being able to scan surroundings and render them as 3D VR models that can then be used for AR or VR. I imagine this would be aimed towards Contractors, Medical proffessionals, Forensics, etc. Basically anywhere that would benefit from portable 3D image rendering of real-world objects/places. This doesn’t exclude however the utility of normal consumption similar to what Apple is aiming for. With ARKit’s announcement, I wouldn’t be surprised if Google decided to create a subset API focused only on consumption of AR.