Apple are well and truly joining the augmented reality (AR) race, after filing two US patents:
- “Wearable information system having at least one camera”
- “Method for representing virtual information in a real environment”
These patents were originally filed by the German company Metaio before Apple acquired them in 2015. This information comes fresh off the heels of rumours that Apple have joined forces with Carl Zeiss to develop an AR smart glass product to be released later this year.
Whilst these patents do not seem to offer any true insight in to what Apple is planning, is it quite likely that this technology will be associated with an iPhone/iPad device rather than a completely new product. What does this mean for iOS gamers? Quite a lot! There is already a steady stream of AR games being developed for mobile devices, such as the still popular Pokémon GO, and the ability to move away from the phone screen will truly augment the industry.
AR is a fast growing industry too. Alongside the major players that now includes Apple who are investing heavily into VR and AR technology, investors fed $US2.3 billion to VR and AR startup companies last year alone, three times the amount invested in 2015.
It is pretty safe to say we are on the cusp of a new technological shift. Does this mean we will get to finally see Siri?
About the Author
Jimmy Twin
Jimmy was named after Jiminy Cricket and is thankful his mother had bad spelling.
