Apple’s long-rumored augmented reality glasses project may have suffered a serious setback thanks to Facebook.
The social network company reportedly reached a licensing deal with Plessey, a British firm that makes displays specifically for augmented reality displays. Apple supposedly was looking into acquiring Plessey. But Facebook rushed in and struck an exclusive supply deal with the company, effectively shutting out Cupertino.
A LiDAR scanner is the highlight of the 2020 iPad Pro. So iFixit disassembled this just-released tablet to see how this 3D sensor works. And the company demonstrates why this scanner is not meant to be as accurate as Face ID.
Another iPhone 12 Pro concept landed on YouTube this week to satiate Apple fans who just can’t wait for the real deal to be revealed this fall.
Created by the Hacker 34, the new iPhone 12 Pro concept offers a couple features not included on the drool-worthy concept we posted yesterday. Armed with a ProMotion XDR display, new quad-camera setup and two-way charging, this boxy concept will have you ready to open your wallet for the 5G iPhone, whenever it actually comes out.
Check it out:
Just can’t wait until Apple unleashes its new iPhones later this year? Our friends at ConceptsiPhone just published their most beautiful iPhone 12 Pro concept video yet and it looks like it almost came directly from Apple’s marketing department.
The detailed concept video shows off the most anticipated features on the 2020 iPhone lineup, including the new iPhone 4-inspired body in two new colors and LiDAR sensor that was just added to the new iPad Pros that came out last week.
Grab a napkin and get ready to drool:
The 2020 iPad Pro takes Apple’s very capable tablet from 2018, improves the specs and performance, and even adds some great features.
I did hands-on testing of the new capabilities and found there’s a lot to love in the latest iPad.
ARKit 3.5, the new version of Apple’s augmented reality software, can capture a 3D representation of the world in real time. This feature employs the LiDAR scanner that’s already in the 2020 Pad Pro and expected in some of this autumn’s iPhone models.
And the version of ARKit that debuted yesterday in iOS 13.4 is better at allowing virtual objects to pass in front of and behind people in the scene.
A major new feature in this fall’s iPhone 12 is rumored to be a LiDAR scanner. A concept artist created a series of images showing what this change might look like.
This scanner would enable the next high-end iPhone models to create an accurate 3D map of their location, greatly improving augmented reality applications.
The 2020 iPad Pro is the first Apple computer with LiDAR. This innovation enables the tablet to make an accurate 3D map of its location. Combine it with software improvements and this tablet is, in Apple’s words, “the world’s best device for augmented reality.”
And the LiDAR scanner might be usable for other purposes, as well.
Cult of Mac spotted an Apple employee wearing an updated data-gathering backpack powered by iPhone 11 Pros on Thursday in Silicon Valley. The wearable rig, presumably used to collect images and data for Apple Maps, looks similar to one seen in 2018. But it features a new hardshell cover — and at least three of Apple’s latest iPhones, apparently used to capture images from the backpack’s sides.
Take a look at how it compares to the old setup:
Apple made a big update to the design of the sensor array that powers the autonomous functions on its self-driving fleet of cars.
Some eagle-eyed observers in the Cupertino area spotted the new array a couple of times over the last month or so. Instead of having LiDAR and camera sensors mounted on a rack around the car, Apple’s gearheads created a system that’s entirely enclosed. And it looks like they’ve ditched LiDAR in the process.
Watch Apple’s whip drive down the streets of Cupertino.
