The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted key parts of Apple’s business, but it hasn’t derailed the company’s plans to build what could be its next important technology platform — augmented reality devices. From a report: The Information has learned that Apple is working with Taiwan’s Foxconn Technology, Apple’s largest contract manufacturer and the one responsible for building most iPhones, to develop semitransparent…
Tag: augmented reality
Amazon Stops Selling ‘Active Content’ Games in Kindle Reader’s Store
Once upon a time, you could play Scrabble on your black-and-white Kindle readers. Or chess or sudoko, or even solve New York Times Crossword Puzzles. Amazon’s Kindle Store had included 500 slick Java-based “Active Content” downloads… Electronic Arts even produced Kindle-specific versions of Monopoly, Yahtzee, and Battleship, while Amazon created original games with titles like Every Word and Pirate Stash —…
Apple’s App Store Policies Are Bad, But Its Interpretation and Enforcement Are Worse
Earlier this week, Apple told Basecamp, the company that makes the brand new email app called Hey, that it cannot distribute its app on the iPhone unless it makes it possible for users to sign up via Apple’s own prescribed methods — which gives Apple a 30 percent cut. Apple told Basecamp that by avoiding giving an option in its iOS…
Snapchat Firm Unveils Platform Plan To Take On Google and Apple
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Snap, the company behind Snapchat, has revealed plans for a fully fledged digital platform taking on not only Facebook but also Google and Apple. The company is launching an app store, expanding its games platform and offering the facility for external developers to upload machine-learning models to build augmented reality experiences. It…
Apple Buys Virtual Reality Company NextVR
Apple has purchased virtual reality company NextVR, Apple confirmed to CNBC. From the report: The purchase is further evidence of Apple’s plans to enter virtual reality and related augmented reality technologies as a new product category, although the company has not announced firm plans or a new hardware product, aside from AR software for iPhones. An Apple spokesperson provided the the…
Magic Leap, Which Has Raised Over $2B, Lays off 1,000 Employees and Drops Consumer Business
Magic Leap, the augmented-reality startup that raised more than $2 billion from high-profile investors including Alphabet and Alibaba Group, is cutting about half of its workforce as part of a major restructuring. From a report: About 1,000 employees will be affected, the people added. The company is planning to wind down its consumer business and will instead focus on its enterprise…
Are We on the Cusp of a Metaverse, the Next Version of the Internet?
The Washington Post describes it as “the next internet.” Wikipedia defines it as “a collective virtual shared space…including the sum of all virtual worlds, augmented reality, and the Internet.” But it was Neal Stephenson who named it “the metaverse” in his 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash. Are we closer to seeing it happen? The Washington Post reports:
In the past month,…
The New iPad Pro’s LIDAR Sensor Is An AR Hardware Solution In Search of Software
One of the biggest new additions to Apple’s new iPad Pro is a new “Light Detection and Ranging” (LIDAR) system on the rear camera, which Apple argued was the missing piece for revolutionary augmented reality applications. “It claims that by combining the depth information from the LIDAR scanner with camera data, motion sensors, and computer vision algorithms, the new iPad Pro…
Augmented-Reality Startup Magic Leap Reportedly Considering Selling Itself
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNET: Magic Leap, a mysterious maker of augmented reality glasses, is reportedly considering strategic options that include selling itself. The startup is working with an advisor to explore options such as forming a partnership or selling a stake in the company ahead of a potential listing, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing unidentified sources. Founded in…
AR is the ‘Next Big Thing’, Says Apple CEO Tim Cook
Apple chief executive Tim Cook believes augmented reality, or technology that overlays virtual objects onto the real world, is “the next big thing” that is poised to “pervade our entire lives.” From a report: Shanahan asked Cook about major developments in tech he expects in the next five to 10 years. “I’m excited about AR,” said the Big Tech CEO, citing…