Sitting on the cusp of the next technological revolution, Apple is ready to ride the wave of Augmented Reality (AR). This blossoming technology can project hyper-realistic images into the real world, viewed through a display screen. The tech giant will introduce this breakthrough to the public in September with the release of [iOS 11](http://techbooky.com/apple-launches-ios-11/).
Apple’s ambitious agenda is to morph this once niche tech-term from a quirky novelty into a mainstream tool for everyday life. Their strategy? Embed AR technology into the next fleet of iPhones, set to be launched later this year.
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of Augmented Reality, it’s the magic behind the worldwide phenomenon, Pokémon Go. This highly downloaded game sees players wandering their local neighborhoods in search of Pokémon which appear to inhabit the real world, albeit viewable only through their smartphone screens. While novelty and entertainment apps like these serve to counteract boredom, AR’s potential extends far beyond pleasure-based applications.
Already, AR is making inroads into fields as diverse as education, product assembly, and warehouse management. It’s being embraced by people who comprehend and appreciate the transformative potential of AR. The technology is galvanizing new apps that blur the line between reality and digital representation in ways we’ve never seen before.
Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, professes his belief in the technology’s potential, stating that “this is one of those huge things that we’ll look back at and marvel at its beginnings”. To Cook, AR provides as significant and valuable a platform as the App Store has since its launch in 2008.
While the company has not confirmed which applications it plans to bolster with AR, its potential uses extend across a spectrum that includes gaming, internal decoration, education, and healthcare. Novel AR-powered games could see the light of day, alongside home remodeling apps that allow users to visualize furniture and decor within their existing rooms. AR can also emerge as a potent tool in the realms of education and healthcare.
In fact, AR demo presentations have already been created for games that include a virtual tour of Van Gogh’s bedroom, Star Wars-themed quests, and digital replicas of entire cities on tabletops. Clearly, AR embodiments push the frontiers of digital interpretation by projecting life-like images viewable through the palm-held window of our phones.
Apple is currently collaborating with a group of software developers to create diverse AR applications tailored to the iPhone. But there’s a caveat: these new apps won’t function on every Apple device. They are designed to run exclusively on the iPhone model 6S and its successors, including the much-anticipated iPhone 8, expected to hit the markets in September. Additionally, reports suggest that Apple’s 2017 iPad and iPad Pro range may also be AR ready, contributing to the expanding AR ecosystem within Apple’s suite of products.
As AR technology is poised to revolutionize our interaction with digital interfaces, Apple is ready to lead the way in merging our world with dazzling augmentations of reality. Tremendously exciting times lie ahead as we prepare to embrace this next leap in technology.