ARKit - page 3

Apple patents way to fix VR headsets’ worst problem

By

Alex Heath gets down in the Oculus booth. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
VR headsets are still bulky AF.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Bulky virtual reality headsets may soon look like retro relics if Apple’s designers have their way.

Details of a new patent from Apple reveal the company is investigating different ways to reduce the size of bulky augmented reality and virtual reality headsets. The patents specifically mentions a tech that its rivals aren’t using, which could give it big advantage if it enters the market.

Demo shows how ARKit will change bookstores forever

By

iOS 11.3 ARKit
Augmented reality will be even better with glasses.
Photo: Apple

ARKit hasn’t produced any apps that are absolutely must-haves, but that could soon change with iOS 11.3.

Apple has added some new ARKit features in the updates slated for release this spring. iOS developer Andrew Hart has already created a demo that utilizes the image recognition tools to identify books on a store shelf while providing reviews and ratings from the internet.

Prepare to be amazed:

Apple teases iOS 11.3 with new Animoji, big improvements

By

iOS 11.3 ARKit
Augmented reality will be even better with glasses.
Photo: Apple

Apple today offered fans a preview of a big iOS 11.3 update coming this spring.

Alongside 16 new Animoji characters for iPhone X owners, the update will bring big improvements to ARKit and Messages, the ability to view battery health on all iOS devices, music videos for Apple Music, and lots more.

ARKit upgrade makes augmented reality apps better than ever

By

ARkit
Apple's augmented reality platform just got slicker.
Photo: Alper Guler

Apple’s ARKit augmented reality platform just got better thanks to ARKit 1.5, which has rolled out to developers in beta.

The upgrade adds a big new feature to AR developers’ toolset: wall detection. Previous versions of ARKit only focused on horizontal plane detection, meaning that it only able to detect floors for objects to be placed onto. With the new upgrade, AR developers will now be able to add walls into the mix — for instance, creating a game in which you throw darts at a wall-mounted board.

Tim Cook: Music ‘deserves’ the audio quality HomePod offers

By

HomePod
Tim Cook thinks HomePod will blow away the "squeaky sound" of its rivals.
Photo: Apple

Tim Cook talked up the audio quality of Apple’s HomePod smart speaker during a recent interview, while taking a shot at the competition.

“We think one thing that was missing from this market was a quality audio experience, a very immersive audio experience,” Cook said. “Music deserves that kind of quality as opposed to some kind of squeaky sound.”

Apple just made it a lot harder for rivals to compete on AR

By

iPhone 8 Plus
Tim Cook thinks AR is going to be the next big thing in tech.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Expecting Android device makers to rip off Apple’s augmented reality technology any time soon? Not so fast, a new report claims.

Apple’s $390 million payday to TrueDepth sensor maker Finisar this week will reportedly help lock out rival companies like Samsung and Huawei from competing with its augmented reality ambitions, by giving Apple first dibs on the necessary components.

iPhone X seemed ‘impossible’ to make, Apple says

By

iPhone X
The iPhone X feels like the future.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple media boss Phil Schiller says that even though Face ID on the iPhone X works nearly flawlessly at one point in the device’s development the entire thing seemed impossible.

Schiller sat down for an interview to talk about Apple’s latest products like the iPhone X, HomePod and even the iMac Pro which is coming out later this week.

Shadows Remain, Duolingo, and other awesome apps of the week

By

Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A brilliantly spooky, story-driven augmented reality game in which you search for your missing child in a new house is just one of our picks for this week’s “Awesome Apps of the Week.”

In addition, we’ve got a great app for teaching you Mandarin, another ARKit title that lets you get a closer look at some of the world’s top supercars, and a brilliant photo app for getting the most out of your iPhone or iPad.

Check our selections below. You won’t regret it!

Shadows Remain pushes ARKit in spooky new directions

By

AR1
The game puts you in the shoes of a parent hunting their lost kid.
Photo: Halfbrick

If you’re looking for a game to show off Apple’s ARKit augmented reality platform, you could do a whole lot worse than checking out Australian developer Halfbrick’s intriguing new AR game Shadows Remain.

Blending first-person adventure, hidden object puzzles, and horror elements, Shadows Remain places you in the role of a parent who moves into a new home, only to find that their kid has gone missing.

7 biggest takeaways from Apple’s record Q4 earnings

By

Will Apple reach its own targets for Q2?
AAPL shares are on the rise.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple surprised investors with its best Q4 earnings report ever today. The outrageous numbers dispelled doubts about the iPhone-maker’s strategy — and pushed Apple closer to becoming the world’s first trillion-dollar company.

With the launch of the iPhone X just hours away, Apple CEO Tim Cook had a lot to be happy about during the earnings call with investors. Analysts quizzed Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri on everything from iPhone 8 sales to how Apple plans to monetize its augmented reality efforts.

Here’s what we found out:

2018 iPhones won’t get rear-facing TrueDepth camera

By

Face ID
These are the sensors that power Face ID.
Photo: Apple

The 2018 iPhone won’t come with a rear-facing TrueDepth camera, according to one of the most accurate Apple analysts in the business.

KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi-Kuo sent investors a note today that the array of sensors that power Face ID and animoji will stay at the front of iPhones, for now.

Tim Cook geeks out on AR during Oxford demo

By

iPhone 8 Plus
Augmented Reality on the iPhone 8 Plus is a taste of the future.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple CEO Tim Cook is a full-on geek when it comes to augmented reality.

Cook has raved about AR’s potential in a number of interviews the last year, but according to a PhD student at the University of Oxford, Tim actually has a great understanding of the technology. In a story shared on Reddit, the student reveals how Tim Cook dug deep into the details of the tech during a recent demo.

The new HomeKit abilities you need to know about, this week on The CultCast

By

HomeKit devices
The Home app and HomeKit just got turbocharged.
Photo: Apple

This week on The CultCast: Live in the home of the future, today! We’ll tell you how with iOS 11’s huge improvements in the Home app and HomeKit. Plus: There’s a new Apple ID phishing scam you need to know about; there’s been a disappointing development with Apple’s AR glasses; we have to talk about the hundreds of new emoji coming at you in iOS 11.1; and we’ve got a svelte iPhone 8 case, a MacBook Pro sleeve made from real sheep, and a new power brick that’ll charge your MacBook, iPhone, Nintendo Switch — everything!— in an all-new Under Review.

ARKit downloads dominated by games so far

By

ARgames
AR games account for the majority of app downloads and revenue made.
Photo: Sensor Tower

The vast majority of augmented reality ARKit apps released so far have been games, according to a breakdown release by analytics firm Sensor Tower Intelligence.

Combing over the AR apps released since iOS 11 launched on September 19, reveals that games represent around 35 percent of ARKit-only apps worldwide, followed by utilities (19 percent), other entertainment (11 percent), education (7 percent), photo and video apps (6 percent), and lifestyle (5 percent). The “other” category — for those apps which don’t fall into any of these genres — accounts for the remaining 8 percent.

Tim Cook: Don’t expect a standalone AR headset anytime soon

By

Tim Cook
ARKit is as big as the App Store and Multitouch, Tim Cook says.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s augmented technology platform ARKit is going to be as big as the App Store and multitouch, but the technology’s not yet there to make a standalone AR headset.

Those are the biggest takeaways from a wide-ranging interview Apple CEO Tim Cook gave to the U.K.’s Independent newspaper as part of his trip to Europe this week. The interview also covered his love of the military, and why Apple shouldn’t stay silent on issues it disagrees with.

Parker, the world’s first AR teddy bear, arrives in Apple stores

By

Parker
Parker? More like "pARker," right? Oh, we get it!
Photo: Seedling

Apple stores probably aren’t your first port of call when it comes to picking up toys, but it’s the only place you’ll be able to purchase one particular new toy made by the manufacturer Seedling.

Seedling’s brand new Parker the bear is described as the world’s first augmented reality teddy bear. Intended for kids three years and up, the bear serves as both a cuddly companion and an all-important child-friendly introduction to the world of ARKit.

Morphite, Ikea Place, and other awesome apps of the week

By

Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend everyone!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s ARKit takes center stage in this week’s “Awesome Apps” roundup — with two impressive demos of iOS 11’s new augmented reality platform that, hopefully, will help convince you that AR is every bit as revolutionary as Tim Cook thinks it is.

In addition, we’ve picked a great open world universe game that’s sure to go down as one of the year’s best iOS titles, and a new entry in a beloved series of legal games (yes, really!). Check out our choices below.

The best ARKit apps to try on iPhone and iPad

By

The Machines
The Machines is the coolest AR game you'll find on the App Store.
Photo: Directive Games

The first wave of ARKit-powered apps is crashing into the App Store this week to change the way you use your iPhone.

With iOS 11, Apple has turned the iPhone and iPad into the world’s biggest augmented reality platform and some of the first offerings from developers are pretty mindblowing. You’ll need an iPhone 6s or above to take advantage of ARKit’s incredible powers, but these apps might convince you it’s worth the upgrade.

Here are 7 ARKit apps you should download right now:

iOS 11 is now available for iPhone and iPad

By

The best gesture in iOS 11 isn't just for iPad.
iOS 11 Makes your devices feel brand new.
Photo: Apple

The long wait for Apple’s AR future is finally over.

iOS 11 has just been released to the public today after a record-breaking beta testing period and it’s packed with a host of new features that will make your iPhone and iPad feel like new.

Amazing AR demo shows off Apple Park

By

Apple Park ARKit
There's a great demo of ARKit at the Apple Park visitor Center.
Photo: Nobuyuki Hiyashi

There’s a pretty amazing demo of augmented reality technology at the new Apple Park visitor center.

The visitor center — which opened to the public on Tuesday afternoon — features a large-scale model of the new campus.

The model is large but bare bones. It looks like a classic architectural model with plain mockups of the buildings and the campus’ contours.

But pick up a nearby iPad, point the camera at the model, and it suddenly springs to life with lifelike plants, trees, and details galore. Check out the video below.