It's been known that Apple has people working on augmented reality initiatives for future devices, which range from the technology's inclusion in a future version of the iPhone to separate
"mixed reality" glasses. Today, a
Bloomberg report has gathered all of the speculation surrounding Apple and AR together, while also providing some insight into a few lesser-known areas of Apple's AR project.
Apple's augmented reality team is said to combine "the strengths of its hardware and software veterans," along with new additions within the company, according to people familiar with Apple's plans. The team is run by Mike Rockwell, who came from Dolby, and also consists of
Yury Petrov (formerly of Oculus), Avi Barzeev (formerly of HoloLens), Cody White (formerly of Amazon's VR project "Lumberyard"),
Tomlinson Holman (formerly of Lucasfilm), and more.
The total scope of Apple's AR team is rounded out by many camera and optical lens engineers, as well as "people with experience in sourcing the raw materials for the glasses." Apple has even included talent from 3D animation company Weta Digital, which worked on films like
Avatar and
The Lord of the Rings. This team of individuals, along with AR advocate Tim Cook, see the new technology as a way for Apple "to dominate the next generation of gadgetry and keep people wedded to its ecosystem."
The separate glasses are said to still be "a ways off," but AR integrated iPhone devices could show up much sooner, said the inside sources.
Bloomberg compared the AR glasses to the Apple Watch, mentioning that the technology would come with its own OS and likely be tethered to an iPhone to send images and content to the user while consuming a lot of power, forcing Apple to find a battery life solution that would fit in the wearable's small frame. In addition to battery problems, Apple will have to find a way to convince users to wear the glasses in the first place.
Explanations regarding the usefulness of AR on an iPhone remain scarce, but some feature details were also provided by
Bloomberg today. The camera-specific abilities include ways for users to change the depth of an entire photo, or the depth of a specific object in the photo. In the past, Apple has cited interest in such technology,
filing a patent for a digital camera with a refocusable imaging mode adapter that could be included in an iPhone. Former CEO
Steve Jobs even met with a company, Lytro, who created the first light field camera.
Apple is believed to be working on virtual reality technology, in addition to its interest in augmented reality, but with the success of apps like Pokémon Go the rumor cycle has taken to suggest that
the company is betting more on AR. It's still unclear when a product including either piece of technology might launch.
Recent concept images of the "iPhone 8" have taken a crack at visualizing AR features on an Apple smartphone, baking in "
enhanced Siri" abilities and augmented reality directly into the user interface.
Although many companies continue to invest time and money into both AR and VR, data collected by a number of market research firms late last year suggested that sales for such devices were
weakening amid consumer apathy, grown out of a lack of interesting content and expensive prices.
Article Link:
Apple's AR Team Includes Talent From Lucasfilm and Weta Digital, Smart Glasses Still 'A Ways Off'