Apple keeps VR a most secretive affair
Apple is perhaps one of the few tech companies left, who hasn’t yet revealed how it plans to integrate virtual reality and augmented reality into its products. From Oculus Rift, to Samsung VR, and Microsoft HoloLens, the VR landscape is getting crowded, and it’s almost perplexing how tight-lipped Tim Cook has been on the subject.
This Tuesday, Cook has finally decided to let out a hint that Apple is not completely impervious to the appeal VR and AR. In a comment made during Apple’s earning call, Piper Jaffray’s top market analyst Gene Munster, asked Cook whether VR has a future, or it’s destined to be in a niche category, at least according to Apple.
“...I don’t think it’s a niche, I think it’s really cool and has some interesting applications...”, was Cook’s answer. While Cook didn’t elaborate further, there are a number of hints about Apple having already started a series of quiet investments towards the development of VR and AR applications, of which we may get a glimpse in the years ahead.
Some of these clues include the hiring of former Microsoft AR HoloLens headset engineer Jack Thompson, and VR and 3D UI/UX expert Doug Bowman. Last year, Apple made some interesting purchases as well, including the German AR company Metaio, and FaceShift, the latter being a computer imaging engineering firm specializing in “markerless motion capture”, and facial animation.
Realistic expectations
Unlike Microsoft’s eagerness to show and tell, often ahead of time, Apple has a history of keeping a tight lid on its upcoming products and future plans. In reference to virtual reality and augmented reality, the potential applications are “virtually” endless, ranging from automotive applications, to wearable devices, and HomeKit, aside from predictable use cases, such as augmented reality in Maps and similar applications.
While on the subject of HomeKit, VR and AR are likely to play a significant role in indoor mapping and 3D tracking, with applications that may include home security, enhanced automation, and general activity monitoring and tracking, with the purpose of interacting with connected devices like kitchen appliances, doors, windows, and home entertainment devices like Apple TV, in a more seamless, natural way.