A new Apple AR webpage showcases all of the capabilities of iOS as an AR platform. And I think the company is making a strong statement about the future of augmented reality. First made possible by the introduction of ARKit last year, augmented reality is a way to bridge the virtual and the physical.
“We’re Just Getting Started”
The webpage’s opening paragraph states:
Imagine if the line between the virtual and the real simply didn’t exist. Your classroom could become the cosmos. The past could be as vivid as the present. And the familiar could look like nothing you’ve ever seen.
With iPhone and iPad, those experiences are not only possible, they’re here. Augmented reality is a new way to use technology that transforms how you work, learn, play, and connect with almost everything around you. And this is just the beginning. Welcome to a new world.
The page shows apps in categories like productivity, gaming, and education where the developers have used AR in unique ways. The “crème de la crème” if you will.
“And this is just the beginning.” I believe it. I think all of Tim Cook’s comments about how “AR is the most profound technology of the future” isn’t just hype. Augmented reality will get bigger and become more integrated into Apple’s ecosystem.
We already see a precursor to augmented reality in Apple’s products. AirPods aren’t just Bluetooth earbuds; they’re a voice-only platform that lets you use Siri without needing a screen. But of course, AR wouldn’t be possible without a screen.
Will that screen remain the iPhone, or will we eventually have augmented reality iGlasses? I personally think so. And there have been little hints that Apple is considering it. But in the meantime iPhones will be our portal, and we’ll see an ARKit upgrade in iOS 11.3.