Apple’s plans for VR and AR
thinks that when people say VR and AR are Apple’s future, they may not be talking about the same timeline
With wild car-based rumours having gone quieter than the electric motor that would supposedly power such a thing, the rumblings about Apple’s next big skunkworks project have focused on augmented reality and virtual reality. We know that Tim Cook thinks AR is going to be big in the future (and Apple is making big strides in iOS), even bigger than VR. But we still have VR support arriving in high-end Macs, and it’s interesting to note that Facebook seems to be much more into what VR can do than AR.
The thing is, the two often get conflated as a joint development, because they share many technologies, particularly motion sensing. But as we get further into the development of both, it’s becoming clearer that Apple should have very different teams on each.
I’ve been using a standalone VR headset at home: the Lenovo Mirage Solo. It’s an Android phone built into a headset, basically, with some cameras on the outside to stop you walking into a wardrobe. It works well, though it’s firmly a version one: the display is fairly high-res, but the pixels are still large enough to create a ‘screen door’ effect. It’s comfortable, but is clearly bulky – you won’t forget you’re wearing it. All problems that could be fixed down the line, and all problems that Apple is especially good at solving, if it chooses.
But using it has made clear to me that a lot of the finessing of VR to come lies in the interface. In Google’s Daydream platform, used by the Mirage Solo, you use a controller in real life, which acts like a laser pointer in VR. You can scroll lists by grabbing and moving them with the pointer – when you reach the bottom, the light bends, like a tent pole. It works well. When you wander into danger, the screen fades a little, which works less well, because it makes me peer forward out of confusion for a better look, moving my head closer to the Shelf of Pain. It made me realise that the world of VR is practically a reset for interaction. That’s where the work is.
AR, when talking about wearable glasses or what have you, has further to go technologically than VR. The interface is still a problem that needs solving, but it’s as much about what to show as how to show it – should it analyse everything, or is it more like the Watch, popping up only key information?
But the physical form is still a big question mark. Does Apple try to sell everyone on wearing glasses? Should it be a transparent screen, or technology that projects directly onto your retina? (That’s an actual thing that is possible) Is it pointless until it’s a contact lens? Should it indicate to others that you’re currently receiving information? Should it be usable when driving?
We have seen two amazing technologies grow up as one, but they’re now reaching adolescence and they need to branch out to fulfil their own identities. I hope Apple’s work on them recognises that.
VR and AR need to branch out to fulfil their own identities