Following the release of iOS 11 and Apple’s much-hyped ARKit augmented reality platform, Ikea’s new furniture-testing “Place” app has officially landed in the App Store.
Ikea Place lets users take advantage of AR technology to position furniture from the Ikea catalog in their own home. The “try before you buy” concept shows off ARKit’s impressive ability to handle 3D scaling with millimeter-accurate positioning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xxOvsyNseY
Right from the start, the app boasts upward of 2,000 different products that customers can test. Going forward, the plan is for Ikea to use the app to debut new products before they arrive in stores. It also potentially could be used to test products before deciding whether to manufacture them.
Already, it seems a number of users are having fun with the app. CNET editor Scott Stein tweeted footage of him testing a beta version of the app on the subway to place sofas and other items on a train platform.
The Ikea Place app is available to download free of charge. Unfortunately, it’s not yet available outside of the U.S. App Store, although Ikea will no doubt be keen to expand elsewhere in the near future.
Excuse me, I’m just laying out IKEA furniture on a subway platform #ARKit#iphone8pluspic.twitter.com/lECKVB4VQi
— Scott Stein (@jetscott) September 19, 2017
