You may not know it, but augmented reality is already part of your daily life! Even if it may seem rather discreet at the moment, augmented reality is well and truly present through various applications, notably social networking applications to customise photos and videos or to carry out measurements; there are also professional applications used to present products or processes.
ARKitwhat is it?
You've heard about it before, but as a reminder, ARKit is a development platform for augmented reality on iPhone and iPad. It is the result of several years of research and, above all, of Apple's acquisition of companies (Métaio, Primensense and Sensomotrics Instruments). In short, it is a mini-revolution in the world of mobile augmented reality application development, since it is natively included in the largest fleet of smartphones in the world, no less!
Since its launch, many applications have been created based on this technology, such as IKEA Place, LEGO or Measure, the augmented reality measurement application. Our visualisation solution, Urbasee was also built with ARKit! Today, ARKit continues to grow with new features.
Arkit 2, the continuation of a success story!
ARKit 2 is therefore the second version of this platform released by Apple on 4 June 2018 in parallel with iOS 12 during its keynote. It offers major developments such as sharing experiences in augmented reality or improving the detection of 3D objects. Another major advance is that Apple is offering an augmented reality measurement application natively on its phones. This reflects Apple's desire to add augmented reality to its OS through different applications. Finally, a new format has been created to share 3D models within the Apple ecosystem (email, SMS, file explorer). The collaborative aspect is therefore largely emphasised for this second version of the platform.
The future of augmented reality: Apple's vision
Like many other big bosses in Silicon Valley, Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, has positioned himself on augmented reality and virtual reality. For him, it is the former that will eventually be democratised.
"Life without augmented reality will soon no longer be possible" - Tim Cook, Apple CEO
In addition, rumours based on company takeovers suggest that Apple is developing augmented reality glasses and that they will be available by 2020. This suggests a new way of consuming content.
Competition in retreat
For Google, augmented reality was a very important issue. However, following its bitter failure with TANGOGoogle is more discreet about its own ARCore platform. Although highlighted in its communication, only certain high-end Android models support this tool. This represents a much smaller number of smartphones than for the Apple brand.
The augmented reality suite
In the near future, applications on smartphones and tablets will continue to benefit from this technology. Currently, it is the brands that are seizing on this mode of visualisation to create new customer experiences. This is the case for LEGO which, in addition to creating augmented reality applications for children, has just set up a virtual shop in augmented reality accessible only on Snapchat. Other major brands are also creating augmented reality masks on the same social network to promote products or films, for example. This follows the trend of users using virtual elements to customise their photos and videos on social networks.
For professionals, augmented reality applications are likely to become a standard, as the benefits are so great. Whether it's for training, showing products or even buildings, the fact that you can visualise any object anywhere from your smartphone is a small revolution that is widely acclaimed!
Want to know more about augmented reality? Download our free comprehensive guide to augmented reality!
