Whether it was under Steve Jobs or now Tim Cook, Apple has always looked for a niche in terms of the technology their products are built on and using this edge to mark up the pricing. The Cupertino-headquartered tech giant is now eyeing Augmented Reality as the next big thing that could keep its loyal customers interested in their new launches, according to TechNewsWorld.
The significance of Apple’s foray into AR at this juncture can be seen from 2 perspectives. The main one is their ability to integrate the technology into their mobile devices. The second one, where the profits can be scaled up for the company is that the competition in the AR space might not be very strong, at least as things stand now. Only Microsoft has an equivalent product, but they have been focusing more on the institutional users rather than at the consumer level.
Technical Hands Recruited
According to reports, Apple has already gone ahead and brought in the experts from other technology giants like Google, Microsoft and others. Apple follows this style in every new field it gets into. The
way it went about roping in top hands for the AI-based cars is a case in point. Aggressiveness in the marketplace has been in the DNA of the company and Tim Cook and his team would not be found wanting in this.
From VR to AR
The obvious question from the average tech user would be how AR differs from VR, which people have been used to and have had the pleasure of viewing through VR enabled devices. At one level, the new technology is an extension of the older one. In virtual reality, you get to view objects around you as if you are virtually standing there among the objects and you get a multi-dimensional view of things around you. But the objects are not really moving. In AR, the computer programme allows you to completely replace the objects and if you are also moving as in diving or on a cross-country drive, the experience could be simple out of this world.
The finer aspects of the technology are still work in progress, but experts feel that Apple could come up trumps and launch an iPhone with AR in the near future.
The Challenges Remain
One of the issues raised by critics of the tech giant has been that Apple promises much, but when their products are delivered to the users, the ‘path breaking’ technology is usually found missing. With AR, however, observers feel, the company may score a point or two on this front also.
Pricing of their products is another factor that is always an issue with Apple and most of their loyal customers do not mind paying a little more just for the experience they derive from the phones and
other devices. The AR-enabled devices might also command a higher price since the technology itself comes at a cost and the user has to invest in smartglasses in addition to the phone to enjoy the
technology at its best.
The expectations are really high at this moment.