Rumour has it, Apple will be revealing their all-new Augmented Reality (AR) glasses at the end of this year, with the wearable hitting the shelves in 2020. Apple’s AR glasses will work alongside the Apple iPhone, allowing you to view digital items on top of your real-world surroundings. It’s perhaps no surprise that Apple will be getting aboard the AR wearable trend after Microsoft’s attempt with HoloLens and Google’s ‘Google Glass’. If whispers are true, the Apple glasses could transform your everyday life and professional capabilities.
AR allows you to ‘see’ the world from your living room. If combined with a mobile travel app, you’ll be able to receive the latest cultural experience and engage with the tourism and travel sector in completely new ways. Planning your next trip? Immerse yourself within different areas and pick your favourite before packing your bags, whether you choose to climb the Eiffel Tower or gaze at the Colosseum. Arrived at your destination? Save time and hassle by layering your very own virtual travel guide into the physical world while you explore.
Or aid training and planning, from simulating military training that may normally exposure individuals to dangerous environments to improving the confidence of children with ‘make-believe’ situations. AR could also enable sophisticated feedback to trainees during specific tasks, improving efficiency and trainee judgements of their abilities. The possibilities are endless.
AR technology was first introduced by Apple with the release of iOS 11 that incorporated AR apps. The apps allow for interactive gaming, immersive shopping experiences, industrial design and more. By example, Ikea unveiled their AR app ‘IKEA Place’, built on Apple’s ARKit technology. From coffee tables to armchairs, you can choose from over 2,000 products that are 3D and true to scale, allowing you to experiment with different furniture and see how it would look and fit in your home.
“IKEA Place makes it easier to make buying decisions in your own place, to get inspired and try many different products, styles and colors in real-life settings with a swipe of your finger. Augmented reality and virtual reality will be a total game changer for retail in the same way as the internet. Only this time, much faster,” – Michael Valdsgaard, Leader Digital Transformation at Inter IKEA Systems.
The apps work using a combination of the built-in camera, powerful processors and motions sensors in the new iPhones. Rumours suggest the AR wearable will also work alongside your iPhone, more or less like the Apple watch. It’s likely the glasses will act as the display, embedded with sensors, while your iPhone powers the necessary connectivity, location services and computing, although Apple is yet to release any concrete details.
“AR is going to take a while, because there are some really hard technology challenges there…But it will happen, it will happen in a big way, and we will wonder when it does, how we ever lived without it. Like we wonder how we lived without our phone today.” – Tim Cook, Chief Executive Officer of Apple
For rumour updates on the Apple AR headset, check back at the CMM blog!