The new Apple‑designed U1 chip uses Ultra Wideband technology for spatial awareness — allowing iPhone 11 Pro to precisely locate other U1‑equipped Apple devices.
[On] September 10th, 2019 Apple announced the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro series of phones. Not mentioned on the stage, but briefly shown on the screen during Phil Schiller’s presentation was the new Apple U1 chip. Hidden in plain sight much like how he pre announced Apple Pay, we see the Apple U1 Chip for the world to see, yet most missed until after the event.
The “U” in the U1 chip relates to the Ultra-Wide Band Radio Technology (UWB) [1] technology it uses. UWB can be used for many application and use cases. One use case that will become very large for Apple as they move to AR/MR technology and Apple Glasses is to be able to track spacial relationships of objects… Although Apple only mentioned indirectly the U1 chip in the new iPhone 11 series, I think it is likely to be a part of Apple Watch Series 5. And if not yet in Apple Watch Series 5, it will be in a future version. I also imagine the U1 in AirPods, AirPod cases, Apple Glasses, MacBook Pros and of course in a stand alone device similar to the Tile…
More than anything else, the Apple U1 Chip helps telegraph the Apple Glasses AR/MR platform… I feel rather strongly the Apple U1 Chip, over time will be seen as one of the most important aspect of the September 10th, 2019 Apple Event.
MacDailyNews Take: Roemmele’s full article is highly recommended.
The groundwork is being laid for Apple Tags – and so much more!
The new Apple‑designed U1 chip uses Ultra Wideband technology for spatial awareness — allowing iPhone 11 Pro to precisely locate other U1‑equipped Apple devices. It’s like adding another sense to iPhone, and it’s going to lead to amazing new capabilities.
With U1 and iOS 13, you can point your iPhone toward someone else’s, and AirDrop will prioritize that device so you can share files faster. And that’s just the beginning. — Apple
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “Luis G” for the heads up.]