14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is set to announce three new smartphones this year, the anniversary iPhone 8 with exciting new features and the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus. Reports about the upcoming iPhone 8 have surfaced in the past few weeks, while a new one says that the phone could come with AR features.
Business Insider reported that Apple’s upcoming iPhone 8 could have AR features. The report cites a research note in which UBS analyst Steven Milunovich cited multiple industry sources saying that Apple has 1,000 engineers working on a project in Israel that could be related to AR.
Recent rumors say that the company intends to launch a dedicated set of AR glasses. As per any leak, take this information with a grain of salt, as nothing is certain until the phone is officially announced.
AR features in the next iPhone could include 3D mapping tools
The analyst said that Apple could choose to focus on augmented rather than virtual reality, seeing how the former would offer a more social experience to users. The latter requires a dedicated headset, which could might make some users feel isolated from the rest of the world.
In addition, the integration of AR in a smartphone should be easier to make, considering that it only requires the device’s front camera. Thus Apple wouldn’t have to develop a new product, like a headset, and market it. The analyst says that new AR products from Apple could arrive in the next iPhone. They might include 3D mapping tools and “possibly an AR software development kit.”
To back this up, the research note pointed out some recent comments that Tim Cook made about AR, saying that AR is “a core technology, not a product per se.” He added that “augmented reality will take some time to get right, but I do think that it's profound.”
Aside from AR, iPhone 8 could ditch the home button and the Lighting port for a USB Type-C port, while the phone might come with a curved OLED display.