Cook shows an iPhone 7 to performer Maddie Ziegler. Since becoming Apple CEO in 2011, Cook has talked a big game in terms of introducing new technologies such as AI and AR. Source: AP

Apple ramps up foray into augmented reality tech, working on wearables

By | 27 March, 2017

APPLE has some ground to make up these days, as its competitors edge ahead in terms of product innovation. It has always been known as a maker of premium products, but its latest iPhone wasn’t exactly considered cutting edge and introduced technology that its rival Samsung had already released a while back.

It has always been known as a maker of premium products, but its latest iPhone wasn’t exactly considered cutting edge and introduced technology its rival Samsung had released a while back.

Stakeholders are anxious for Apple’s next breakthrough, which is likely why it’s taking a flying leap into augmented reality (AR) development. As reported by Bloomberg, Tim Cook has talked a big game in terms of introducing new technologies such as AI and driverless cars when he stepped up as chief executive in 2011.

Among them, AR is the technology which gets Cook the most excited as he believes in the future, we will “have AR experiences every day, almost like eating three meals a day. It will become that much a part of you,” he said last year.

In order to recapture the spotlight as a leading-edge product innovator, Apple has assembled a team of hardware and software veterans from within the company, and has also brought in outside talent that’s well-versed in AR/VR technology.

According to an unnamed source, the team is run by an ex-Dolby Laboratories exec and includes engineers who have worked on Oculus and HoloLens. To add to the mix, Apple has also acquired a number of startups in the AR hardware, 3D gaming and VR software space.

Bloomberg reveals Apple is currently plugging away at a few AR products which include a pair of digital spectacles. The wireless glasses would have the ability to beam content, such as movies and maps, from the iPhone to the user.

The glasses will perhaps take years to develop and the new AR tech Apple is working on is likely to show up on the iPhone first.

SEE ALSO: Baidu enters the smartphone AR race: Is the industry heating up?

There’s definitely way more focus on VR development at the moment, but Apple is banking on AR being an easier sell to the masses as it is “less intrusive.”

It seems to be a good time to get into the game too, as researcher Global Market Insights notes the global AR product market will leap 80 percent to be worth US$165 billion by 2024.



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@irismtleung

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Iris Leung is a technology writer based in Hanoi, Vietnam. She's mainly interested in startups, urbanism, the future of work/media and the emerging markets. She was formerly the editor at e27.co in Singapore and StartupsHK in Hong Kong.

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