5G is coming, and with it the dreamt-of possibilities of connecting our lives and our devices way more efficiently. It is argued, not just by us, that Mixed Reality and RT in general have a large role to play in the tech drama of the current age. One of the proponents of such a vision is Apple who has us peeking and peeping into their inner workings to find out what’s coming. Judging by the latest, rather extensive patent application, we may be looking into an iPhone Augmented Reality future.
We are not overly sold on every rumor that comes our way, but when Apple hits you with a 292-page patent application, you better take note. Filed back in August last year, the patent spends much time extrapolating a futuristic AR blanketed environment. The centerpiece of it an Apple AR headset, but the interesting bit how the headset interacts with the environment. In the Apple vision, iPhone is the center hub for all our AR experiences. Through the iPhone ‘touch sensitive surface’, Apple envisions, users will be able to run, control, and overlay their surroundings via Apple AR headsets.
From specific to more general information, the iPhone Augmented Reality patent deals mostly with input technology. Interfaces of today are not very efficient, input commands not very silky, and they often require sequences that come with learning curves or are so unintuitive they mar the immersion so essential to the very concept of Augmented or any other reality. Consequently, the input commands of today are considered as stepping stones to truly futuristic UI technology, and that is precisely what Apple is arguing for in the 292-page patent.
Back to the specifics, the computer systems described in the iPhone Augmented Reality patent include a headpiece that uses an iPhone as a remote control. Users can add, detract, change, meddle with, or shape virtual objects to their liking. It is a more integrated approach that adds variety to input, and use cases to AR devices. A symbiosis between a smartphone and AR headset, Apple is hinting at all the things we can do via iPhone-powered Augmented Reality-enabled environment. That is all the things so dear tour mortalities, like emailing, messaging, note taking, image editing, web browsing and the like. Should this sound rather like Mixed Reality to you, it is no surprise. The lines being blurred and blurring even further, the labels are still important as markers if nothing else.
Unveiling the first 5G Samsung S10, the company CEO spent a considerable chunk of his demo time in debunking the myth of smartphone demise. It is because there is a notion that smartphones have hit the wall, that there is no real value added from year to the next. Apple however, joins hands with overseas competition and begs to differ. If nothing else, the patent application for iPhone Augmented Reality device reimagines the smartphone role to be the center of our AR environment. We all have the keys in our hands, the patent suggest, that will make the future simpler, more connected, and way more exciting.
