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iPhone 12

September 2020

Four new phones in three sizes expected with 5G and new AR capabilities.

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Early 2020

Low-cost device similar to iPhone 8 but with upgraded internals such as latest A13 chip.

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Hands-On With Apple's 'ARKit' Augmented Reality Demo for Developers

Tuesday June 20, 2017 3:33 pm PDT by Juli Clover

With iOS 11, Apple is delving into augmented reality in a big way, introducing an ARKit development platform that will allow developers to quickly and easily build augmented reality experiences into their apps and games.

ARKit is positioned to be the largest AR platform in the world when it launches this fall, using the camera, processors, and motion sensors in the iPhone and iPad to create some incredibly impressive augmented reality interactions.

While we won't see the first augmented reality apps and games built on ARKit for a couple of months, Apple has an ARKit demo app to show off what ARKit can do. We went hands-on with the demo to give MacRumors readers just a small taste of what to expect.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
ARKit uses technology called Visual Inertial Odometry to track the world around an iPad or iPhone, allowing a device to sense how it moves in a room. ARKit automatically analyzes a room's layout, detecting horizontal planes like tables and floors, which then allows virtual objects to be placed upon those surfaces.

With ARKit able to place any virtual object within a physical room, developers can create all kinds of unique experiences, and developers have already released several demos showing what might be possible.

Apple already has at least one major retailer on board to use ARKit -- IKEA. IKEA is developing a new augmented reality app built on ARKit that will let customers preview IKEA products in their own homes before making a purchase. IKEA has offered augmented reality functionality for a few years now, but the company says Apple's new platform will much improve the experience. With ARKit available, IKEA says augmented reality will now "play a key role" in new product lines.

For additional details on other developer tools and features coming in iOS 11, make sure to check out our full iOS 11 roundup.

Related Roundup: Apple Glasses

Tag: ARKit

Top Rated Comments

(View all)

FactVsOpinion

37 months ago

It's one of these technologies where you just know there will amazing use cases and applications all over the place, but it's pretty hard to imagine many specific examples.

Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Nevaborn

37 months ago

AR was always the dream. I knew Apple would nail it. From game interaction to customising home design and using the camera to view and find out information about the world around you.AR really is the next step in technology. VR has its place for games and entertainment but AR is a tool for every day life.

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Jeremy1026

37 months ago

The technology is cool, but nothing practical that convinces me to spend $800 on a head set.

You're confusing VR (Virtual Reality, headsets) with AR (Augmented Reality, adding to the image on your screen).

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

djcerla

37 months ago

This is the next gold rush.

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

mi7chy

37 months ago

DRAM is going to limit the number and complexity of objects loaded along with a newer GPU required for decent performance. I can see needing the 2017 iPad Pros with 4GB DRAM and GPUs to have a positive experience.

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

teh29

37 months ago

Does anyone know how to get this demo? Is it on the developer portal? I can't seem to find it.

The code is available under "Resources" of this WWDC ARKit video...

https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2017/602/

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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Top Stories

Leaker Claims New 13-inch MacBook Pro Coming as Soon as Next Month

Monday April 6, 2020 2:56 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

Apple will announce a new 13-inch MacBook Pro in May with the codename J223, according to a rumor shared by YouTuber and leaker Jon Prosser. Note: it’s a refresh to the current 13” So the bigger 14” display upgrade is a big possibility— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) April 4, 2020 Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said Apple plans to release new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models with scissor keyboards ...

Read Full Article • 156 comments

iOS 14 Could Offer Home Screen Widgets, Wallpaper Customizations

Saturday April 4, 2020 3:30 pm PDT by Frank McShan

iOS 14 could offer home screen widgets and wallpaper customizations for the first time, according to 9to5Mac and Twitter user DongleBookPro. Apple is reportedly working to implement widgets that can be moved freely around like icons on the iPhone and iPad homescreen for the very first time. The feature is reportedly codenamed "Avocado" and no other details are available. It was also...

Read Full Article • 282 comments