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Apple continued to focus on augmented reality this year, adding LiDAR scanners to the iPhone 12 Pro and iPad Pro lines. In a new interview with CNET, Mike Rockwell, Head of AR at Apple, and Allessandra McGinnis, Senior Product Manager for AR, reiterated Apple’s optimistic view of AR.
Rockwell pointed out that one of the ways Apple can help ensure the success of augmented reality is by making sure it’s available in the Apple device ecosystem. The success of AR today will mean that it will be available in the future, especially in devices that may exist tomorrow:
“AR has enormous potential to help people in their lives through the devices that exist today and the devices that may exist tomorrow, but we have to make sure it is successful,” says Rockwell. “For us, the best way to do that is to empower our device ecosystem, so it’s a healthy, profitable place for people to invest their time and effort.”
Rockwell also added that while a small percentage of iPhone and iPad users take advantage of currently available AR features, it remains a “gigantic number.” This is all part of Apple’s goal to “provide a platform and an ecosystem for developers where they can make a living,” he said.
McGinnis boasted that AR is already having a practical impact for businesses:
“The Home Depot has found that people are two to three times more likely to convert when viewing a product in AR than others who don’t,” McGinnis points out, citing figures from Shopify and Build.com that show a higher probability of buying (94%) and a 22% lower rate of return.
On the ability of augmented reality to impact accessibility, Rockwell said:
“There is a lot more that we can do, especially when it comes to our understanding of the environment around us,” says Rockwell. “We can recognize people, but if you think about what a human being can understand about an environment, there is no reason that in full time a device cannot have this level of understanding, too, and provide it to developers. “
McGinnis also said that Apple “will work with blind and visually impaired communities to specifically improve on the people detection side.”
Looking ahead, Rockwell pointed out that Apple is incredibly optimistic about augmented reality, comparing it to the internet:
“These things are kind of a tricky thing in the beginning, and you have to have all the elements there, all of these ingredients, for them to be successful,” Rockwell says. “In a few years, it will be one of those things that you won’t remember living without it, just like the Internet,” he adds. “You’re going to feel like, wow, I’m using it on a regular basis… it’s just going to become part of our lives.”
Currently, reports suggest that Apple could release its augmented reality headset as early as 2021. In addition, an AR headset designed for gaming could be released sometime in 2022 and potentially announced in 2021.
The full report is available at CNET and well worth a read.
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