Augmented Reality – Is Apple going to lead the pack?
Most of us are not aware of the fact that the term ‘Augmented Reality’ was first used by Tom Caudell, the Boeing Researcher in 1990. Tom along with his colleague, David Mizell established substitute to costly drawings and marking equipment which were used in those days to help workers. Instead Caudell developed a head- mounted device which displays flight’s required drawings and diagrams using hi-tech goggles and show them into reusable boards. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality technology has come a long way from there. Retailers like IKEA have been using augmented reality comprehensively in their catalogues for a couple of years now. Pokémon Go game has reduced the evolution speed drastically that the AR has become a buzz word suddenly. Mobile phone manufacturers have started working aggressively on releasing AR enabled handsets of which Apple is in the forefront and rumor mill is running high on the next apple phone getting released with built in AR capabilities. Developing an eco-system of both devices and software compatible with AR is carried out aggressively and those who come out as the winner will become the leader in the AR space for sure. If the words of Ming-Chi Kuo “Planet’s no.1 analyst on Apple” are to be believed, company’s vision on AR strategy may leapfrog competitors by 3-5 years and he is expecting an explicit AR device as well as assimilating AR into all Apple’s main products. Some of the business segments like retail, real estate, education and branding have already started tapping the potential of Augmented Reality in a big way. Even in football, each player’s individual statistics will play above the player when you are in the stadium creating a feeling of sitting in front of TV screens making the AR application more innovative. Apple is keen to integrate AR in other sectors like automotive also.
With a clear view of becoming leader in the field of AR Apple acquired many AR app and software developers like Metaio apart from prominent researchers in this field. But giants like Microsoft and Google are not far behind. Even though Google Glass project was not a great success, their team still continues to develop AR capabilities of highest standard. Google glass is being used for industrial engineering even now. What makes Apple distinct in AR space? Even though Apple cannot claim to have years ahead of its competitors some of the unique charisma and DNA associated with Apple makes it a perfect fit for massive AR implementation. Apple’s core value of creating only things that are clean, simple and jovially easy makes it in a perfect situation to implement intricate Augmented Reality application. This policy will help Apple make early adopters as well as gadget gurus embrace AR seamlessly. As many people think AR as something of high end technology, Apple can make it look simple and easy to operate. One of the reasons why Google Glass failed was due to its miserable aesthetic appeal. We cannot expect Apple to make such a mistake because when it comes to ‘sex appeal’ there is nobody who can beat Apple. AR eyewear sales does not depend entirely on some pioneering functionality it also requires that aesthetic appeal to make people feel comfortable in buying it because they are going to wear it like any other eyewear. Time is not too far when Augmented Reality becomes part of our daily life and if there is one company which can give a complete AR solutions in a simple way it is going to be Apple. Even though Apple Watch did not create any havoc in the market like iPod or iPhone, it is so far the best in class available for a smart wear. Keep your fingers crossed to watch some mesmerizing products from apple on AR front soon. Source: https://smacarsolutions.com/