Apple Hires Jaunt VR Founder Arthur van Hoff

[MacRumors]

Apple this month added Jaunt VR founder Arthur van Hoff to its AR/VR team, according to van Hoff's updated LinkedIn profile that was first noticed by Variety.

Van Hoff is now working as a senior architect at Apple, with no other detail provided. His company, Jaunt VR, created VR capture hardware, including a $100,000 3D VR camera, the Jaunt One.

Rumors of troubles at the company started in 2018, and in October, Jaunt VR let go of much of its staff, pivoting from VR hardware to augmented reality. Jaunt is now focusing on building a platform for the scaled creation of AR content.

At the time, van Hoff said he would be leaving Jaunt by the end of 2018, and it appears he ended up at Apple instead. It's not clear specifically what he's doing at the Cupertino company, but given his expertise in AR and VR, he's likely joined Apple's augmented and virtual reality efforts.

Prior to founding Jaunt, van Hoff was CTO of Flipboard, software and services CTO at Dell, and an engineer at TiVo.

Rumors have suggested Apple is working on developing a set of AR smart glasses, which could be released as soon as 2020. Apple also has other AR/VR prototypes in the works, and there have been mixed rumors that have also pointed towards the possibility of some kind of virtual reality hardware product in the future.

Article Link: Apple Hires Jaunt VR Founder Arthur van Hoff

 

[Scooz]

Love the latest hires.

 

[SirChristopher]

OMG VR GO AWAY!

 

[44267547]

OMG VR GO AWAY!

Why dismiss this technology? The potential is there for the future for VR, especially with if Apple releases their smart glasses likely in the future, I think there’s a lot of untapped market to see where this leads.

 

[IRockThat828pScreen]

AR is the future.
The next iPhone WILL be AR glasses.

 

[now i see it]

pivoting from VR hardware to augmented reality

Factual evidence that VR is going nowhere.
The last grasp is AR. It's still rocking the hype train (as VR did) so we're going to have to hear about all its promises for sometime yet to come.

The future is not about staring at a screen while engaging in the real world- as much as the electronics companies want us to think so

 

[CarpalMac]

I remember not so long ago people saying that 3D TV was the future....

 

[martyjmclean]

I remember not so long ago people saying that 3D TV was the future....

3D TV was clearly never the future. VR and especially AR has legitimate uses.

 

[Alan Wynn]

I remember not so long ago people saying that 3D TV was the future....

3D TV is the future. The problem is that it will always be the future.

 

[Jamers99]

That looks like the top of R2D2's head if he went to the Dark Side.

 

[twolf2919]

The future is not about staring at a screen while engaging in the real world- as much as the electronics companies want us to think so

Your understanding of AR is wrong and, therefore, your conclusion. With AR, you don't stare at a screen while engaging in the real world. With AR you engage with an informationally enriched real world. There are endless uses for this. I could rattle off a half dozen that would help me personally just while typing this.

 

[djcerla]

So many short-sighted folks around here.

OF COURSE Augmentd Reality is the future. It’s as clear as it was clear the smartphone was the future in 2007. Indeed, many scoffed at the concept back then.

 

[Planetary]

The career history kind of undersells Arthur. He was at TiVo because they bought a company he founded, and he is best known for being on the Java team at SUN and writing the original Java compiler.

 

[NMBob]

So if you walk down the street and their glasses start pointing out brothels and speakeasies is that going to throw a shadow on Apple's vision of 'high standards' and will they cancel the product, or will they just fuzz the doors like Google maps does with secret things so you can't see them?

 

[CarpalMac]

So many short-sighted folks around here.

OF COURSE Augmentd Reality is the future. It’s as clear as it was clear the smartphone was the future in 2007. Indeed, many scoffed at the concept back then.

What exactly is AR going to be the future of? Going with your comparison, people have been using computers for decades so the idea of a mini portable version is hardly a leap. Psion and Palm were in the ball park but never got it. Just because Steve Ballmer tried to deny the iPhone would work I think it safe to say the rest of us who saw the keynote knew it was a game changer.

Are you saying c.2.7bn people will be using AR each day? Sure it has uses, but to declare it as clearly being the future is more than a touch broad and completely unsubstantiated.


And the guy at the end of the video "we put in 120%". Urgggh...

 

[DeepIn2U]

Love the latest hires.

Meh ... I still don't know how this guy will help Apple in a VR sense?
iPhones, Mac's, etc don't have 360 cameras and most likely never will nor need to because the end user will always be in the way. Camera will have to rotate around the end user holding any device.

So ... is it the server implementation of VR feeds that Jaunt's founder is hired for? Some sort of integration within a security implementation within iCloud? Algorithms for camera feed?

 

[bladerunner2000]

What for? Apple's hardware is a steaming pile of crap that will never be able to run anything in VR.

Unless Apple is finally planning on making a good computer?

 

[pbodifee]

Van Hoff is now working as a senior architect at Apple, with no other detail provided.

Article Link: Apple Hires Jaunt VR Founder Arthur van Hoff

He told us on Facebook that he joined the Siri team. Knowing Arthur (and Apple) it will remain secret for a while what he is up to ;-)

 

[WatchFromAfar]

Why dismiss this technology? The potential is there for the future for VR, especially with if Apple releases their smart glasses likely in the future, I think there’s a lot of untapped market to see where this leads.

"if Apple releases their smart glasses" Smart glasses, running HD video in your eye, for the entire time you're wairing them (which would have to be 24/7 for people with prescription glasses) how long do you think the batteries would last? You're living in a fantasy if you believe in Apple smart glasses.

 

[michelb76]

Meh ... I still don't know how this guy will help Apple in a VR sense?
iPhones, Mac's, etc don't have 360 cameras and most likely never will nor need to because the end user will always be in the way. Camera will have to rotate around the end user holding any device.

So ... is it the server implementation of VR feeds that Jaunt's founder is hired for? Some sort of integration within a security implementation within iCloud? Algorithms for camera feed?

This guy is supersmart and an amazing technologist. He previously did very diverse things, so whatever they need him for, he can do. Nobody says he's going to work on VR..probably something really different.

 

[Scooz]

Meh ... I still don't know how this guy will help Apple in a VR sense?
iPhones, Mac's, etc don't have 360 cameras and most likely never will nor need to because the end user will always be in the way. Camera will have to rotate around the end user holding any device.

So ... is it the server implementation of VR feeds that Jaunt's founder is hired for? Some sort of integration within a security implementation within iCloud? Algorithms for camera feed?

I would expect any of the new hires to bring new and clearly voiced insights to the table that in the end also determine what might go into HW, frameworks changes etc. Giving a few new guys some impact on real world decisions is something Apple is usually really good at. So, a bit of new blood, and brain, basically.

Especially for VR/AR I would expect them to allow Apple a better overview of current developments (not necessarily only their own) and the current depth estimation based in stereoscopic or motion-based imaging might also get a quality and speed boost by adding a deep learning processing level as well as some more HW mods.

I’d expect more in terms of realtime spacial analysis but don’t want to spoil the surprise

 

[TheFluffyDuck]

AR is garbage, VR is where its at.

 

[HJM.NL]

And then come the Chinese. Making the same system re-engineered and probably better for a fraction of the cost. I expect it will come to market sooner than the Apple equivalent.

I expect something great coming from Apple this or next year. Because since 2012 all I’ve seen is a recap from older things already developed. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely applaud the new iMac. But it’s the same old design since 2012 with a new heart transplant from Intel. Not a marvel of effort and design.

 

[DeepIn2U]

I would expect any of the new hires to bring new and clearly voiced insights to the table that in the end also determine what might go into HW, frameworks changes etc. Giving a few new guys some impact on real world decisions is something Apple is usually really good at. So, a bit of new blood, and brain, basically.

Especially for VR/AR I would expect them to allow Apple a better overview of current developments (not necessarily only their own) and the current depth estimation based in stereoscopic or motion-based imaging might also get a quality and speed boost by adding a deep learning processing level as well as some more HW mods.

I’d expect more in terms of realtime spacial analysis but don’t want to spoil the surprise

Um ... that seems like a lot of Apple PR fluff. In his experience and forty there is nothing REALLY to add to AR other than camera and depth perception quality really. And quite frankly ... Fish-Eye view (very common and necessary in 360 camera setups) is not the kind of view ANYONE wants on their AR glasses tech in any form.

"deep learning processing level" his expertise I highly doubt will assist in "deep learning processing level" that current Apple staff doesn't already know and working on.

This guy is supersmart and an amazing technologist. He previously did very diverse things, so whatever they need him for, he can do. Nobody says he's going to work on VR..probably something really different.

Again ... more PR ... what EXACTLY his is "super smart and amazing technologist" have to really offer Apple do you foresee in the future? 360 camera ? no it's a pretty well saturated market. This is not the area Apple is going for ... so hypothesize a real world use were he can contribute. At least that's my discussion in this thread.

we don't know ... and will not UNTIL such a time Apple makes it clear ... but discussion is exciting and I'd like to see where you both feel he can really contribute ... not a generalization overview of his "skills" and how great it is for apple to hire a super smart person ... I'm talking about WHAT this person brings to Apple that is useful.

 

[Pakaku]

AR is the future.
The next iPhone WILL be AR glasses.

It's more comparable to the Watch than to the iPhone, and I'd be surprised if Apple managed to fit an iPhone into a glasses chassis