What we would do if we were Apple. (Focus on Augmented Reality)

For many Apple fans and tech insiders, the company’s Special Event tomorrow will be the most hotly anticipated of the last decade. Despite continuing record profits, the company’s reputation for innovation has diminished as the previously undisputed smartphone leader has fallen behind Samsung and Huawei in handset sales.  After several iPhone generations without any revolutionary new features and underwhelming performance of the Apple Watch as the company’s last new device launch have cast doubt on whether CEO Tim Cook can live up to Steve Jobs’ legacy of disruptive innovation. Tomorrow’s special event marks the ten year anniversary of the first iPhone and the first-ever presentation at the Steve Jobs Theatre so all eyes will be on Cook.

Before we get into specifics about what we predict will be one of the most spectacular Apple launches in recent history, let’s take a quick look at Apple Park, the new head office of the world’s favourite brand.  As taken from their Environmental Responsibility Report “Our new corporate campus, Apple Park, is on track to be the largest LEED Platinum–certified building in North America. Over 80 percent of the new campus is open space with more than 9000 drought-tolerant trees. And, of course, it’s powered by 100 percent renewable energy.”

Apple Park alone represents a major leap forward for a company that makes over $40B PER QUARTER!

“With the introduction of ARKit in iOS11, there will now be over 400,000,000 iPhone devices enabled with powerful Augmented Reality capabilities.”  

As Facebook, Google and other tech giants jumped head first into the world of Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR & AR) over the last few years, Cook’s cryptic messaging over the last few years have made Apple’s AR ambitions the most hotly debated topic among our industry. As North America’s leading VR/AR consultancy, MetaVRse operates at the epicentre of this industry and predict that immersive technology will be integral to tomorrow’s announcements.

Here is a list of what we would do if we were Apple (with regards to Augmented Reality):

iPhone 8

• 360° camera built-in with 4K front and rear facing cameras.
• Augmented Reality with depth sensing infrared camera (ARKit ready)
• 5.8” Edgeless screen with no home button (res: 2960 x 1440)
• Apple A11 chip
• Waterproof, dust proof (IP68)
• NFC unlocked for developers and customers to use (finally)

The first thing we would announce is the greatly anticipated iPhone 8, with 2 x 4K front facing cameras, Infrared depth sensor and 4K rear facing camera.  Why would you need all these cameras on a phone?  The reason is that with these cameras, you can literally change the way we interact with our phones.  ARKit, is Apple’s  answer to Google’s Tango Project which allows users to use AR in ways we have not even imagined yet.  

Built-in 360° Camera

iPhone 8 will offer a fully integrated seamless 4K 360° camera built directly into the iPhone 8.  Just hold your phone up and boom, you have a 360° photo. Imagine taking a 360° photo and using ARKit, you can leave that photo that can be used as a magical time machine you can leave for friends anywhere and give them clues on how to find it using the power of ARKit. (This might just be a pie-in-the-sky wish).

Apple Unveils a Killer Augmented Reality App - ARKit

In early June, Apple announced ARKit as a development framework for their incredible new Augmented Reality platform allowing developers to use positional tracking (XYZ) in the real world instead of fixed markers.  Imagine creating a 3D digital asset and leaving this with a message for your friends in Times Square with a special message so anyone who you send the link to can see the 3D image floating in mid-air (presumably forever).

ARKit will work natively with the iOS11 update on iPhone 6 and above (A9 chip or greater), thus enabling over 400 million devices with the most powerful AR in the world instantly.

For a list of really cool ways developers are using ARKit right now, visit the ‘Made with ARKit’ Twitter page.  From practical uses like a tape measure, to abstract fun things like the AR Portal, this technology is revolutionary and has the potential to change the game for both Virtual & Augmented Reality.

ARKit will allow:

• The ability for anyone to create high quality AR projects on their phone
• AR to work natively on Safari and supporting all browsers by early 2018
• Holographic Apple Maps that will give you directional arrows in your physical world
• Face recognition for all sorts of amazing uses (we can’t wait for this to replace business cards)
• 3D rendering of products & food (see above)

Mapping the entire world with ARKit (3D photogrammetry of physical locations)

Using the power of ARKit as well as the front facing dual and IR cameras, we would create a personalized cache hunting game where anyone in the world can hunt for hidden clues in EVERY space.  We would use this game to help create a user-generated map of the entire world.  Google spent billions mapping the external world (Google Maps), and now the race is on to map every space inside (and outside).  The reason this is important is because as virtual and augmented reality technology becomes more prevalent, there will be a need to use these detailed maps to travel anywhere virtually for recreation and business.  Imagine a game like Pokemon Go, but with the hidden agenda of creating the most comprehensive digital map of the entire world (that is the last mention of Pokemon Go that I will make, I promise.  Oh one more thing, Pokemon Go has made over $1B since it started only 18 months ago.

3D Rendering of physical assets into the digital world

There is going to be a massive demand for cloud based rendering of physical objects into the digital world.  Imagine using your phone to take ANY product and make it into a 3D digital asset you can use in virtual space.  If we were Apple, we  would introduce a cloud solution for creatives to share and collaborate on work and farm the hard work of creating digital assets out to the world.  Another company, OTOY is introducing a blockchain-based initial coin offering (ICO) called Render Token (RNDR) that will compensate people for doing exactly this.

Partnership and Demo with Mira Reality Headset

To demonstrate the power of AR in a headset, we would introduce a partnership and on-stage demo with Mira Reality showing how the iPhone can be used as a head-worn AR headset similar to the Microsoft Hololens, but for only $99!

Future considerations (Apple Glasses)

Apple recently acquired the world’s leading eye-tracking company, SensoMotoric Instruments (SMI), a move that corresponds to Google’s acquisition of competitor Eyefluence.   This indicates that Apple is working on an AR headset (more likely glasses) that will have built-in eye tracking capabilities.

Effectively in the next 24 hours, we will go from under 100,000 AR enabled devices to over 400 MILLION!  We at MetaVRse will be watching closely to see how close our predictions for tomorrow’s big event are to reality.  If you are like us, you will be glued to your Apple TV with great anticipation for what might just be the pivotal moment for virtual and augmented reality!  

CLICK HERE to watch the big event tomorrow September 11, 2017 at 1:00PM EST

About MetaVRse

MetaVRse is North America’s Leading Virtual & Augmented Reality Consultancy. Nominated for Global VR Startup of the Year (VR Awards) and named Top 100 Rising Startups (Techweek).   Both CEO, Alan Smithson and COO, Julie Smithson were recently named Top 19 VR Executives whose names you need to know. www.MetaVRse.com