iPhone 8 May Feature Rear-Facing 3D Laser for Improved Autofocus and AR

[mctrials23]

I wonder how close to the actual launch of the iPhone we will get before a headline claiming that apple haven't finalised something or are still playing with the hardware will actually be ignored. This must be a running joke amongst the rumour writers. "Dave, I know the iPhone 8 is being launched next week but I'm gonna suggest that they are still deciding whether to include touchID".

 

[MacsRgr8]

"The whole thing costs about $2 per phone"

what a time to be alive. twenty years ago, that system would be the size of an airconditioner and cost $150,000

Indeed.
And imaging over 20 years..!
Unrestricted resolution VR from your pocket..? Experience visually being anywhere in the world, almost live....

 

[akash.nu]

Lasers are unsafe if the beams enter the eyes.

Not unsafe if the intensity is not strong. There are loads of cameras out there with laser focus.

 

[citysnaps]

Less gimmick Bs and longer battery life

And what would that be, and why do you consider it gimmick BS?

 

[Delgibbons]

These are the types of things Apple doesn't get enough credit for.

Seems like Google's Project Tango using laser technology. In 2016. Very cool.

 

[BBOY_FYC]

Haha 14 minutes.. better be best photo ever

It's actually 8min20s one way, give or take a bit depending on the time of year.

 

[Ghost31]

These are the types of things Apple doesn't get enough credit for.

Why would they get credit when they're too busy being doomed?

 

[AFDoc]

In before all the whiners start crying about the new/bigger phone having features the other phones don't.

 

[zombierunner]

2 more months folks ...

 

[Gnutek]

Why would Apple get credit for this? It's already available in many phones out there.

Any examples? There are only two phones that use Google Tango (which uses similiar or same tech). Wouldn't call that "many" but maybe I missed something?

 

[Gorms]

Something like this is definitely going to be in iPhone this year. ARKit basically confirmed it.

 

[Vjosullivan]

This would mean near-instantaneous autofocus, far superior Bokeh effect,...

How does slapping a laser on the phone improve the bokeh of the lens?

 

[9594864]

The display is a large part, but your viewpoint is not necessarily shared by how others view this next iPhone as an upgrade. The display is one thing to consider an upgrade, but with the overall concern of touch ID and how the home button will be incorporated into the iPhone 8 is another aspect on its own.

But also take into consideration what hardware features appeals to somebody may not warrant enough of an upgrade to someone else based on price point and what features are compelling enough to upgrade over their previous device. To me, those considerations trumps everything else over the display, because the consumer see's the device as a whole as an upgrade, regardless of the display being OLED, etc.

Well I know that the Home Button and Touch ID will function and remain exactly where they are now.
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If it resulted in superior AR I doubt Apple would have included an AR demonstration in their last WWDC keynote using an iPad Pro which doesn't have a laser sensor, they would have held off until they could present to The World this superior version of AR.

It offers superior AR... hardware is required for the best AR.

 

[Thunderhawks]

Haha 14 minutes.. better be best photo ever

I would say for sure overexposed.

A clear case for photoshop.
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It takes 7 minutes one-way so you're looking at 14 minutes, but the power of the emited light from the iPhone...
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The camera module will protrude due to physics. They can't make the modules physically thinner without severe degradation of image quality currently. Moreover, the protrusion is the intelligent design because in order to have no protrusion the device would have to be about 8.3mm thick, which while you may think is nominal and of absolutely no concern to you, if you actually held such a device you'd immediately want the thinner device back, protrusion and all.

Secondly, a little explanation to ease your mind about the display cutout at the top of the 2017 iPhone:

That top portion of the display will be black, always. Period. The cutout will blend into the perfect black OLED display, and you will virtually never see the cutout unless you are in the perfect light and angle. I personally believe Apple will have made the black bezel try to blend with the display blackness as much as possible, therefore a comparison to the relative ease of discerning the display vs the bezel in the Apple Watch, is not a comparison worth making.

The iPhone will look like one of these two mockups someone made: keep in mind that the top left and right corners beside the cutout will be used for dynamic info/touch zones and the bottom black bar will be the Home Bar which acts as the Home Buttonand dynamic touch zones/info akin to the Touchbar on the MacBook Pro.
View attachment 708365

You can give up explaining this to those who do not care (or know) about physics.

To assume Apple wouldn't have figured this out (and used a thinner lens if possible) is not using brainpower.

Add to that using a case with the cutout depth for the lens and this is a non issue.

Anybody who complains about the protruding lens should just not buy this phone or produce their own.

I'd gladly check their solution when they present a thinner lens incl. all the specs we have now.

Maybe some future advances will help to put this complaint to rest.

 

[Magneat-O]

Its not the meaning of life, the past 5 revisions of iPhones will continue to do just fine.

I'm pretty sure next year's iOS will not be available for iPhone 5s.

 

[9594864]

How does slapping a laser on the phone improve the bokeh of the lens?

It gives an even clearer depth representation to the computer for blurring computation. In fact the rear cameras now being about 1/4" further apart due to the flash being in between them gives a better bokeh effect alone, because the camera separation is what allows for the system to create a sense of depth. Moreover, the fact that they both have OIS may help as well.

The IR light and sensor would help substantially though. All you have to do is think about what bokeh is and what the IR light and sensor do. It shoots the light out and the sensor retrieves the light and draws a 3D representation of the environment it hits from the time it takes for the light to come back to the sensor. Therefore, it would make a perfect map of something as complex as hair. I see it as acheiving basically the same quality or better quality than bokeh cameras, but I'm not an expert obviously. I see no reason why it couldn't do a bokeh effect live during a video in the future, and in fact, I think bokeh would be a useful methodology to draw attention to an object in your environment that you want AR info about, in essence 'highlighting' the object live.

 

[Magneat-O]

In before all the whiners start crying about the new/bigger phone having features the other phones don't.

iPhone 8 is going to be smaller than the Plus models

 

[9594864]

I would say for sure overexposed.

A clear case for photoshop.
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You can give up explaining this to those who do not care (or know) about physics.

To assume Apple wouldn't have figured this out (and used a thinner lens if possible) is not using brainpower.

Add to that using a case with the cutout depth for the lens and this is a non issue.

Anybody who complains about the protruding lens should just not buy this phone or produce their own.

I'd gladly check their solution when they present a thinner lens incl. all the specs we have now.

Maybe some future advances will help to put this complaint to rest.

What's more funny is that people always say something like 'why make it thinner when everyone puts a big thick case on it anyway?'. Like...duh? I guess they don't understand that the phone thickness + the case thickness = the thing's thickness you're holding.

Your point is exactly right, most people use cases and the protrusion is nullified in the depth of the case and due to this you hold a much thinner thing in your hand.

 

[Jax44]

The LG G3 had a laser AF system for its camera 3 years ago.

No one cares.

 

[Labeno]

Guess whats next? A Radar or Sonar maybe.

Enough to make a self driving phone.

 

[dugbug]

Im ok with the face thing if a virtual touchid button with 3d-touch and force feedback is still in the loop, and I can wear sunglasses or a hat or go unshaven a day or two and unlock at night or in light without issues.

-d

 

[iReality85]

Who cares about having a workable Touch ID when you have lasers coming out the back of your iPhone.

#priorities

 

[Tech198]

All positive..

Enough to make a self driving phone.

I'll be in the cold cold ground before my iPhone will control me.

 

[wigby]

Lasers are unsafe if the beams enter the eyes.

Class 1 lasers are totally safe for the eye just like unlicensed Wi-Fi (under 1watt) is totally safe. Not sure of the laser type that would be used but if it's IR, I doubt it would be anything but low power class 1.

 

[Mr. Dee]

I'm pretty sure next year's iOS will not be available for iPhone 5s.

You are pretty sure because you work at Apple beside Craig? Or pretty sure because you are guessing? It has a 64 bit A-Series processor, its not impossible for iOS 12 to support it too, might not get all features.