Augmented Reality on iOS 11
Originally published by Jason Martell on his website.
Augmented Reality (AR) technology is no longer the stuff of science fiction movies. With the recent Apple release of the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X, augmented reality is now available to consumers in the palm of their hands, and customers aren’t the only ones who are excited.
Now that there are devices that are AR compatible, the next step is development of apps and programs that will make use of AR technology, and businesses large and small are taking notice and starting to respond.
To the average phone user, the addition of AR might not mean much or carry much significance, but for the number of businesses and brands who have been excitedly waiting for devices able to host AR programs, this is a dream come true.
With the release of the new iPhones, Apple added numerous updates to their software that will make AR compatibility a reality. The phones’ cameras are capable of handling 60fps video which is high enough quality to generate these augmented environments. Also included are accelerometer and gyroscope technologies as well which are crucial for accurately tracking motion.
While AR development is no simple feat, Apple is taking steps to make creating AR apps easier for developers. At the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) earlier this year, Apple first hinted at the focus they’d be placing on AR technology in the future when they introduced ARKit, a “cutting-edge platform” to develop AR apps for iPad and iPhone.
A beautiful example of this is how Major League Baseball is looking to utilize this technology for its fans. The MLB At Bat app on the iPhone 8 will give fans more access to data and stats; by simply pointing their phones at the field during games, iPhone 8 users will be able to see stats and information for each player on the field.
Even non-tech businesses are catching onto the trend and looking for ways to implement AR technology; just look at Ikea. The furniture and home decor giant released an app through ARKit called Ikea Place which will allow customers to visualize what furniture will look like in their homes before they purchase it.
As more and more brands look for ways to capitalize on this emerging technology, we’ll undoubtedly see more and more ways that AR technology is implemented into our lives.